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Long-term survival and serial assessment of stroke damage and recovery - practical and methodological considerations
1King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, UK.
Insights
Stroke impairs adults, but few treatments exist. This study discusses overcoming preclinical limitations and including long-term outcomes like behavior and neuroimaging to improve stroke therapy efficacy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Neurology
- Translational Medicine
Background:
- Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability globally.
- Current acute stroke treatments are limited, with only one approved thrombolytic therapy for use within 3 hours.
- Preclinical research limitations impact the development of effective stroke therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address limitations in preclinical stroke research.
- To emphasize the importance of long-term outcome measures in stroke studies.
- To discuss practical considerations for incorporating serial assessments of behavior and neuroimaging in therapeutic efficacy trials.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing guidelines for preclinical stroke research.
- Discussion of serial assessment methodologies for behavioral and neuroimaging outcomes.
- Analysis of the significance of these measures for establishing therapeutic efficacy.
Main Results:
- Existing guidelines often overlook long-term outcomes in stroke research.
- Serial assessments of behavior and neuroimaging are crucial for a comprehensive evaluation of stroke therapies.
- Integrating these measures can enhance the translational relevance of preclinical findings.
Conclusions:
- Overcoming preclinical limitations requires a broader focus beyond acute interventions.
- Incorporating long-term outcome measures like behavior and neuroimaging is essential for advancing stroke treatment.
- This approach will improve the assessment of therapeutic efficacy and patient recovery.
Abstract:
Impairments caused by stroke remain the main cause for adult disability. Despite a vigorous research effort, only 1 thrombolytic treatment has been approved in acute stroke (<3h). The limitations of preclinical studies and how these can be overcome have been the subject of various guidelines. However, often these guidelines focus on the acute stroke setting and omit long-term outcome measures, such as behaviour and neuroimaging. The considerations and practicalities of including the serial assessment of these approaches and their significance to establish therapeutic efficacy are discussed here.
