UAB Researchers to Study Silent Strokes
A stroke is typically caused by a clot that cuts off blood supply to the brain, and when it happens, there are usually signs, such as facial drooping and slurred speech. But silent strokes, caused by smaller clots, are unrecognizable, according to UAB neuropsychologist Ronald Lazar.
“You have the same kind of signals, but they’re so small that, in and of themselves, each one does not cause symptoms that you’re going to recognize,” Lazar says, “But over many years, we think they do cause a problem.”
He says previous studies show that silent strokes increase the likelihood of having a larger stroke and of developing dementia. But in general, Lazar says there is a lack of research about the impact of these small neurological events and ways to prevent them. In a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health, he and fellow researchers at UAB and Stanford University hope to fill in some of the gaps.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Alabama has one of the highest stroke mortality rates in the country.
The study, which is part of a larger national study called ARCADIA, will enroll 500 patients who have already had a stroke, and researchers will follow them for three years. During that time, participants will take a daily dose of an anticoagulant drug, either Aspirin or Apixaban. At the beginning and end of the study, investigators will use Magnetic Resonance Imaging to look for evidence of silent strokes. They will also conduct annual interviews to monitor for cognitive decline.
Lazar says they hope to improve understanding of how silent strokes might affect cognitive function overtime and study the preventative impact of both anticoagulant drugs.
“The fundamental goal is trying to minimize the occurrence of stroke in patients who might ordinarily be at high risk,” Lazar says.
How old is your music taste? Spotify will tell you, though you may not like it
Spotify Wrapped is bluntly telling users their "listening age," which in many cases is several decades older or younger than their actual age. It's a calculated strategy.
Tune in to a mini-concert with Nation of Language
The New York band performs tracks from their latest album, Dance Called Memory.
George Clooney’s kids don’t care about his success (and that’s a good thing)
In Jay Kelly, Clooney plays an emotionally stunted movie star struggling with work and family life. He can relate: "We're all balancing it. We're never getting it perfect."
Putin says there are points he can’t agree to in the U.S. proposal to end Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin made the remarks to an Indian broadcaster before landing in India for a state visit, but refused to elaborate on what Russia could accept or reject.
University of Alabama shutters Black, female student magazines
The editors of Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice magazines were informed Monday that the university was stopping the magazines immediately. A university official cited July guidance from Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Europe’s left is taking notes on Mamdani’s successful campaign for New York mayor
The New York mayor-elect's victory has energized the European left, with politicians casting themselves as their country's version of Mamdani, and strategists eager to study how he won.
