Care at the Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center is always shaped by the latest and best medical advances because our experts continuously engage in research. A connection with the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine allows basic science research to be quickly translated to findings that will improve patient care.

Recent studies include:

• “Non-invasive Brain-Signal Training to Induce Motor Control Recovery After Stroke”

  Janis J. Daly, PhD, associate professor of neurology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, was awarded a $1 million EUREKA grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Daly and her team will receive $1 million over the next four years to investigate the feasibility of using Electroencephalography (EEG) signals to direct brain retraining following stroke.

  
  
• Use of Diabetic Medications to Reduce Injury During Stroke:

  The Sundararajan Laboratory has found that a class of medications already approved for use in type 2 diabetes called Thiazolidindiones (TZDs) reduces injury from stroke in an animal model. 

  TZDs bind to and activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma). Following stroke there is a robust inflammatory response to stroke and Dr. Sundararajan's laboratory has shown that TZDs activate PPARgamma in the brain and suppress the inflammatory response to stroke.

  Animals treated with TZDs have smaller strokes and preform better on behavioral assessments. 

  Current studies are focused on better understanding the mechanisms by which TZDs protect the brain and also on experiments aimed at translating these findings into effective clinical therapy. 

  More information on this study
  Case research page

  
  
• Results of Dias 2 published: Anthony J. Furlan, M.D., Chairman of Neurology, North American PI
  Intravenous desmoteplase in patients with acute ischaemic stroke selected by MRI perfusion
  Desmoteplase and imaging science

Ongoing Clinical Trials:

• Stenting vs. Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS)
  The purpose of this study is to compare the safety and effectiveness of either intensive medical therapy plus stenting or intensive medical therapy only in preventing stroke, heart attacks or death.
• Insulin Resistance Intervention After Stroke Trial (IRIS)
  The purpose of this study is to determine if pioglitazone is effective in preventing future strokes or heart attacks among non-diabetic persons who have had a recent ischemic stroke.
• Secondary Prevention of Small Subcortical Strokes Trial (SPS3)
  The goal of this study is to learn if combination antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel) is more effective than aspirin alone for the prevention of recurrent stroke and cognitive decline, and if intensive blood pressure control is associated with fewer recurrent strokes and cognitive decline.
• Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS) III Trial. (IMS III)
  The purpose of this study is to compare two different treatment approaches—combined intravenous and intra-arterial recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and standard intravenous (IV) rt-PA—to restoring blood flow to the brain.
• Carotid Occlusion Surgery Study (COSS)
  The purpose of this study is to determine if extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery, when added to best medical therapy can reduce the subsequent risk of ipsilateral stroke in high-risk patients with recently symptomatic carotid occlusion and increased cerebral oxygen extraction fraction measured by PET.
• Clazosentan in Reducing Vasospasm-Related Morbidity and All-Cause Mortality in Adult Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Treated by Surgical Clipping (CONSCIOUS-2)
  The aim of this study is to demonstrate that clazosentan, administered as a continuous intravenous infusion at 5 mg/h until Day 14 post aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), reduces the incidence of cerebral vasospasm -related morbidity and all-cause mortality within 6 weeks post-aSAH treated by surgical clipping.