Attempts at finding neuroprotective agents for stroke have failed to date. We believe these failures are directly related to the use of models based on young rodents for a disease that principally effects the elderly. We have been studying an aged model of embolic ischemia to overcome these limitations. We examined the effects of age on stroke progression and outcome in order to explore the association between blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, neuronal damage, and functional recovery. Our data show that aged rodents „experience“ a very different stroke from that seen in the common young animal model of ischemia. Furthermore, fragility of the blood brain barrier may explain this profound difference.
Charles Lee Rosen ist Direktor der Abteilung für Schädelbasis- und Neurochirurgie an der West Virginia University in Morgantown, USA. Dort zeichnet er verantwortlich für Forschungen zum Verlauf von Schlaganfällen unter Berücksichtigung des Alters.
Moderation: Professor Dr. Aurel Popa-Wagner