Halting Immune Response Could Save Brain Cells After Stroke

Using a compound to block the body’s immune response greatly reduces disability after a stroke, new research shows. The animal-based study, conducted by University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, revealed that particular immune cells,  CD4+ T-cells, produce a mediator — interleukin (IL) -21 — that can cause further damage in stroke tissue. However, normal mice, ordinarily killed or disabled by an ischemic stroke, were given a shot of a compound that blocks the action of IL-21. Subsequent brain scans and brain sections showed that the treated mice suffered little or no stroke damage.  The study shows that after a stroke, the injured brain cells provoke the CD4+ T-cells to produce a substance, IL-21, that kills the neurons in the blood-deprived tissue of the brain, giving new insight as to how stroke induces neural injury: In looking at brain tissue from people who had died following ischemic stroke, researchers found that CD4+ T-cells and their protein, IL-21 are in high concentration in areas of the brain damaged by the stroke. To read more about the study, click here.