International study shows link between brain age and stroke outcomes
April 7, 2023

A new study lead by a team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC shows that younger “brain age,” a neuroimaging-based assessment of global brain health, is associated with better post-stroke outcomes. The findings could lead to better ways to predict post-stroke outcomes and offer insight on new potential treatment targets to improve recovery.

Understanding why some stroke survivors show better recovery than others despite similar damage to the brain has been a critical goal in stroke research, since it could help researchers develop better stroke rehabilitation therapies. During a stroke, blood flow to part of the brain is cut off. Without oxygen, brain cells are damaged and eventually die, resulting in brain damage known as a lesion. Studies have shown that people with similar amounts of lesion damage can experience varying amounts of recovery. Much research in the past two decades has focused on the specific location of brain damage and how the lesion affects connected networks in the brain.

Read more at Keck School News.

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