Blood pressure-lowering medication can prevent serious cardiovascular conditions such as strokes, heart failure and heart attacks, even in adults with normal blood pressure, according to a new research by University of Oxford researchers In a paper published in the Lancet, the researchers found the beneficial effects of treatment were similar, regardless of the starting blood … Read more
News for Stroke and Vascular Dementia
Eight BRC projects get RCF funding
Eight Oxford BRC proposals, many covering a number of themes, have been awarded NIHR Research Capability Funding (RCF) funding to take forward key areas of research. The selected projects that will be supported include: Developing a research centre devoted to urgent and acute care The creation of a state-of-the-art imaging centre; and of a new … Read more
New stroke research centre opens in Oxford
Research into strokes and vascular dementia took a major step forward on Thursday (5th March) with the official opening of the Wolfson Centre for the Prevention of Stroke and Dementia (CPSD) in Oxford, based at the new Wolfson Building at the John Radcliffe Hospital. The new centre is the only purpose-built clinical research centre looking … Read more
Oxford researchers test ‘Viagra’ drug to prevent recurrent strokes
University of Oxford researchers have begun a clinical trial to assess whether the drug sildenafil, more commonly known by its commercial name Viagra, could improve blood flow to the brain and so have the potential to reduce damage to small blood vessels in the brain and prevent strokes. Chronic damage to small blood vessels deep … Read more
Stroke deaths in England halved in ten years, study finds
Deaths from stroke in England halved in the first 10 years of the 21st Century, thanks to improved treatment, a study by Oxford BRC-funded researchers has found. However, the study, published in the BMJ, warned that there had been an increase in the number of people under the age of 55 who had had strokes. … Read more
Event showcases BRC work tackling chronic diseases
Around 170 people attended a BRC event on Tuesday (26 March) that provided an opportunity to network and to hear about the breadth of research taking place in Oxford to combat chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and dementia. The Chronic Disease Cluster, which brings together six research themes – Obesity, Multimorbidity, Diabetes, … Read more
Oxford medical researchers win prestigious national awards
Four leading healthcare academics in Oxford have received a prestigious national award. The University of Oxford professors have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of their “outstanding contribution to clinical and applied health and social care research”. The successful candidates are all prominent researchers in the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre … Read more
New research on recovery following intensive care treatment
Out-of-hours discharge from intensive care is strongly associated with both in-hospital death and ICU readmission, according to a study supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. The systematic review and meta-analysis by researchers from the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the Kadoorie Centre, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, covered … Read more
One dose of aspirin doesn’t fit all
About one billion people worldwide take regular aspirin, usually to prevent heart attacks or strokes. Writing in The Lancet, researchers have shown that ‘one-dose-fits-all’ use of aspirin to prevent heart attacks, stroke or cancer, is ineffective or harmful in the majority of people, and that a more tailored strategy is required. Daily aspirin reduces blood clots … Read more
More awareness needed about stroke risk after mini-stroke, study finds
A leading Oxford stroke specialist says more needs to be done to raise of awareness of the need to take rapid action after a mini-stroke in order to reduce the number of major strokes. The study of more than 2,200 patients across Oxfordshire was led by Prof Peter Rothwell (right), of the Nuffield Department of … Read more
Oxford medical researchers win prestigious national awards
Leading health researchers in Oxford have been recognised in a prestigious national competition. Eight professors have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of their “outstanding contribution to clinical and applied health and social care research”. The successful candidates are all prominent researchers in the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre … Read more
Oxford researchers develop new scan to predict stroke
Researchers at the University of Oxford, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, have developed a new type of MRI scan to predict the risk of having a stroke. The non-invasive technique, developed with funding from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), is described in a paper published in the journal JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging. It … Read more
A breathless and magical experience for foreign students
The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre has welcomed students attending the 58th London International Youth Science Forum, a two-week residential event that attracts more than 500 of the world’s leading young scientists from more than 75 countries. Twenty-five students attended the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital on Thursday 3 August. … Read more
Unique Oxford study of vascular disease welcomes 10,000th participant
Peter Casey was the study’s 10,000th patient The only project of its kind anywhere that studies all acute vascular events, such as strokes and heart attacks, to develop … Read more
New tool to improve blood pressure measurement
Scientists at Oxford University have developed a new way of estimating our true underlying blood pressure that overcomes common problems in a clinical setting which can lead to misleading results. Blood pressure measurement is frequently used by medics to understand our health, and dangerously high blood pressure (hypertension) can lead to serious conditions like heart … Read more
Electrical brain stimulation could support stroke recovery
Applying an electric current to the brain can help recovery from stroke, Oxford University researchers at the John Radcliffe Hospital have found. A team from Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, led by Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg and Dr Charlotte Stagg, studied the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to support rehabilitation training. The technique … Read more
WATCH: Simple approach to research is key to improving stroke treatment
Stroke is one of the biggest killers in the UK but world class research is helping cut the number of deaths and improve prevention. In the latest Oxford Biomedical Research Centre public talk, clinical neurologist Professor Peter Rothwell outlines leading stroke and related dementia research. He examines how new understanding is pioneering earlier recognition of … Read more
Remodelling the Brain: an insight into research that could aid stroke recovery
Our brains adapt whenever we learn a new skill, such as juggling and they also adapt after damage such as stroke. In this Oxford Biomedical Research Centre public talk, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Heidi Johansen-Berg shows how brain imaging allows us to watch the brain remodel, reorganise and rewire. Prof Johansen-Berg, a Wellcome Trust Senior … Read more
Study seeks people with memory loss
Research study (SCarlet RoAD) opens to test an investigational medication for the treatment of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease On 20 January 2012 the OPTIMA Project (Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing: Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford) based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, started recruiting for the SCarlet RoAD study, a research study of … Read more
Treating the brain with tiny electric currents may aid stroke recovery
Tiny electric currents applied across regions of the brain can improve hand movements in recovering stroke patients for a short period, an Oxford University study has demonstrated. The researchers are hopeful that developing this brain stimulation technique further may provide a useful addition to standard physiotherapy in helping the recovery of stroke patients. The study … Read more