A new study says that an already-approved drug for epilepsy could dramatically reduce the debilitating impact of stroke. Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States and according to statistics by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 130,000 Americans are being killed by stroke each year.
Additionally, an estimated 795,000 Americans are affected every year. Now, according to the study led by Dr. Sonya Bierbower of the School of Medicine at the University of Texas (UT) Health Science Center at San Antonio, an epilepsy drug, Retigabine, may be effective in reducing brain damage in individuals who have ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke.
The study was published in the journal, The Journal of Neuroscience. The researchers have found out that the drug, Retigabine, an anticonvulsant drug which has long been approved to treat epilepsy, has the ability to reduce brain damage after an ischemic stroke.
CDC added that 87% of strokes are ischemic in nature which is characterized by the blockage of blood that goes to the brain. Hence, the oxygen supply in the brain is impeded. When this happens, it can cause death of nerve cells or neurons in the brain.
Necrosis or cell death in the brain cause result to partial or full paralysis, memory lapses, problems with cognitive abilities, trouble with speech, balance problems, and difficulty in moving around. Sometimes, even the emotions are affected.
The researchers tested the drug on mice. Two groups of laboratory mice which experienced ischemic stroke were tested. Hours after stroke, one group of mice was placed on a balance beam to observe their motor coordination. Those who were treated with the epilepsy drug showed no difficulty with balance, equilibrium, ambulation or turning around the beam. On the other hand, the control group showed pronounced loss of coordination and they slipped and fell.
Lead author and researcher, Mark S. Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of physiology at the HSC told Medical News Today, "You couldn't even tell they had a stroke. They ran across the balance beam like gymnasts."
When they examined the histology of brain tissue of the mice that were treated with Retigabine, the scans showed that there is marked reduction in brain damage compared to untreated mice. Furthermore, for up to five days, there were marked protective effects of the drug in the mice that experienced stroke.
Dr. David F. Jimenez, professor and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the UT Health Science Center commented on the study, "As a leading cause of death and disability, stroke poses a major risk to our society. It is very exciting to see that our collaborative work with our colleagues in physiology could provide a superb way to ameliorate the harmful effects of stroke on our patients."
This research was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a part of the National Institutes of health."