Books Cover: The Science of The Bottom Line by Oliver Munday

Books Cover: The Science of The Bottom Line by Oliver Munday

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Bottom line in hunt for stroke cure as scientists study cells from patients' buttocks

 

Scientists are hoping to get to the bottom of stroke – by studying cells from patients’ buttocks.
Glasgow University researchers believe that changes in microscopic blood vessels in the samples will shed light on what goes wrong in the brain.
While the idea may seem odd, the blood vessels of interest are found around the body – and the buttocks are much more accessible than the brain.
The study centres on a devastating inherited condition called Cadasil, in which patients suffer repeated strokes which can eventually do so much damage that they develop dementia. 
Some will suffer their first stroke in their 20s and need round-the-clock care from their 40s.
With a child of an affected parent having a 50/50 chance of developing the disease themselves, some people will be caring for a loved one while mindful that they too could fall ill at any time.
Treatment is limited to easing symptoms such as depression when they occur and doing things like stopping smoking and living healthily to reduce the risk of stroke.
The Stroke Association-funded study could also provide vital information about ‘normal’ strokes.
Researcher Keith Muir, a neurologist and stroke specialist, said: ‘Cadasil is an important problem in its own right. 
‘It causes significant disability among people who are typically quite young and is much more common than previously thought.

 

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‘It might also have important things to tell us about other common forms of stroke.
‘Understanding both would be of great benefit.’
Some 150,000 Britons suffer a stroke each year and the condition is the biggest cause severe disability, with more than half of survivors left dependent on others for help with day to day life.
Although most people won’t have heard if it, Cadasil affects around 1 in 10,000 Britions, making it as common as motor neurone disease.
It is already known the condition is caused by a fault in a gene that makes a protein found in microscopic blood vessels around the body.
Diseased blood vessels can’t open and close properly in response to changes in blood pressure.
This affects blood flow to the brain and raises the odds of strokes.
It is hoped the blood vessels in the buttock samples taken from eight patients will shed more light on what exactly does wrong and pave the way for treatments.

Some 150,000 Britons suffer a stroke each year and the condition is the biggest cause of severe disability

With up to a quarter of normal strokes bearing some of the hallmarks of Cadasil, any findings could have wider implications.
Dr Madina Kara, of the Stroke Association, said: ‘Cadasil is the most common cause of inherited stroke.
‘People who are affected by the condition are more likely to have recurrent strokes from mid-adulthood and can suffer from depression, complex disability and dementia.
‘Often people with Cadasil have to care for disabled relatives whilst knowing they too may develop the disease.
‘While the affected gene has been identified, it is unclear how the defect results in the disease and there is currently no proven treatment for those with Cadasil.
‘Our findings could further our knowledge of this devastating condition and help to develop treatments in the long term.’
Professor Muir said: ‘It seems like a big opportunity to intervene at a stage when you could stop disability.
‘If you could come up with something that might be effective, the potential gains are huge.
‘For those who are in their 20s and 30s and see their future as being pretty bleak, it could make a big difference.’