Investigation into the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier during ischaemic stroke

The build up of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the brain, due to disruption of a special barrier between the blood and the brain, is considered as one of the most important consequences of damage to the brain blood vessels during stroke, and indeed constitutes the main cause of early death after a stroke.

The proposed study will investigate mechanisms that may contribute to the breakdown of this barrier, using specialised cells which make up the barrier. These cells will be subjected to similar conditions that exist in healthy human beings and those that develop in patients during a stroke. The findings of this study will lead to a better understanding of stroke, the third biggest cause of death in developed countries, and pave the way for better future therapies.

Scientific title: A molecular investigation into the role of small GTP-binding protein RhoA in human blood-brain barrier permeability breakdown under anoxic and ischaemic conditions

Classification:
Applied Neuroscience, Vascular Pathology

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