Researchers are continuously exploring new methods for treating and preventing strokes. Research is being conducted in several areas, including:

• Antibiotics. Studies indicate that bacteria can inhabit atherosclerotic plaque (plaque that accumulates in the blood vessels and causes atherosclerosis), potentially increasing the tendency for plaque rupture. Researchers are investigating whether antibiotics can exert any effects over such bacteria, thereby increasing the stability of the plaque and reducing the risk that it will break off and cause a stroke.
  
  
• Cholesterol drugs. Recent studies indicate that statins may decrease an individual’s risk of stroke.
  
  
• Mechanical thrombolysis. These devices break up or remove blood clots using catheter-delivered tools. Currently, clot-busting drugs are the only available method of dissolving a blood clot in the brain. However, these medications can take up to an hour to be effective. Researchers are testing sound waves, lasers, suction, spinning blades and snares to determine which of these methods, if any, will prove useful in disbanding blood clots.
  
  
• Neuroprotective agents. These agents attempt to rescue brain cells from injury resulting from an ischemic stroke. For instance, some agents attempt to increase blood flow to the region of the brain affected by the stroke. Others seek to limit damage caused by the dying brain cells.
  
  
• Stem cell transplants. Stem cells are basic cells that are able to develop into many types of cells. Although they start out very similar to one another, stem cells become highly individualized after they adopt their specialized functions. Researchers are investigating various methods in which stem cell transplants could be used to treat stroke and other conditions involving damaged brain cells.
  
  
• Hypothermia. Researchers are studying whether reducing a patient’s body temperature, and consequently the brain’s demand for oxygen, can decrease the amount of cell damage caused by a severe stroke.
  
  
• Internet consultations. Rural hospitals are trying computer networks and video feeds as a way of getting help from stroke experts in cities and universities.