A drug that blocks the action of the enzyme Cdk5 could substantially reduce brain damage if administered shortly after a stroke, UT Southwestern Medical Center research suggests. The findings, recently reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, determined in rodent models that aberrant Cdk5 activity causes nerve cell death during stroke. More importantly, development of a Cdk5 inhibitor as an acute neuroprotective therapy has the potential to reduce stroke injury. In this study, researchers administered a Cdk5 inhibitor directly into dissected brain slices after adult rodents suffered a stroke, in addition to measuring the post-stroke effects in Cdk5 knockout mice. “If you inhibit Cdk5, then the vast majority of brain tissue stays alive without oxygen for up to one hour,” said Dr. James Bibb, senior author of the study. “This result tells us that Cdk5 is a central player in nerve cell death.” To learn more about the study, click here.