Surgery, medications, hospital care and rehabilitation efforts are all considered accepted methods of treating a patient who has suffered a stroke. Scientists are also continuously exploring new methods of treating and preventing strokes. Research is ongoing in many different areas, including:

• Antibiotics. Studies have found that plaque that causes a hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) may also harbor bacteria that can increase the risk of arterial rupture. Researchers are investigating whether antibiotics can affect these bacteria, potentially reducing the risk of stroke.
  
  
• Mechanical thrombolysis (use of physical means to break up blood clots). Certain devices that use catheter-delivered tools to break up or remove blood clots are being explored for use in helping to prevent strokes. Currently, medications are the only method available to break up a blood clot in the brain and can take up to an hour to be effective. Devices being tested include lasers, sound waves, suction, spinning blades and snares.
  
  
• Neuroprotective agents. Certain substances are being studied that may protect brain cells from injury and help prevent brain damage as a result of some types of stroke. The substances being explored operate in different ways. For example, some may increase blood flow to the area of brain experiencing a stroke. Others may prevent damage that can be caused when blood returns to the affected area of the brain after a stroke. Still other substances may limit the damage caused by dying brain cells.
  
  
• Stem cell transplants. Stem cells are “beginner” cells that have the ability to develop into many different types of cells. The cells start out similar but become highly specialized, depending on where in the brain they develop. Researchers are investigating a variety of methods in which stem cell transplants could be used as a treatment for brain damage caused by stroke and other conditions.
  
  
• Hypothermia (bodily response to low temperatures). When exposed to low temperatures, the body responds in a variety of ways, including lowering the demand for oxygen to the brain. Researchers are studying whether lowering a patient’s body temperature can decrease the amount of brain damage that can occur during a stroke.
  
  
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs. Recent studies indicate that cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may decrease a patient’s stroke risk.
  
  
• Electrical brain stimulation. Researchers are examining the potential benefits of short-term electrical stimulation, via electrodes attached to the head, during rehabilitation after a stroke. This may stimulate the cortex and enhance post-stroke learning.