Protein find may help cut stroke risk

SCIENTISTS have discovered the way the brain protects itself when it is “running on empty”, in findings that could have major implications in treating patients at risk of stroke.

Some regions of the brain consume as much energy as leg muscles during a marathon run, and even when we are sleeping it needs regular fuel.

People are at risk of stroke because the energy supply from blood vessels feeding the brain has been compromised.

But researchers from the universities of Edinburgh, Dundee and Leeds found that a protein can trigger a protective strategy which reduces the frequency of electrical impulses in the brain, therefore saving energy.

Professor Chris Peers, of the University of Leeds’ School of Medicine, said: “Our new findings suggest that if brain cells run short of energy, they start to work more slowly. However, it is better to work slowly than not at all.

“It is possible that this discovery could, in the long term, lead to new treatments for patients who have problems with circulation to the brain, placing them at higher risk of conditions such as stroke.

“This research is a good example of what can happen if you pool the expertise of research.”