Stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel bursts, killing brain cells. About 800,000 strokes occur in the US each year. Treatment focuses on dissolving clots quickly, preventing future strokes with blood thinners and blood pressure control, and rehabilitation to regain lost function.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing longer treatment windows for clot-busting drugs, devices that pull clots from brain arteries, stem cells to repair damaged tissue, and drugs that protect brain cells during and after stroke. Researchers are also studying brain stimulation to speed recovery and new approaches to prevent the second stroke that follows about one in four first strokes.
Neuroprotection
Drugs that shield brain cells from damage during a stroke could extend the narrow treatment window and reduce disability. Several candidates are in trials, including drugs that target inflammation and oxidative stress.
Stroke recovery
Trials are combining rehabilitation with brain stimulation, stem cells, or drugs that make the brain more plastic. The goal is to help people regain movement, speech, and other functions months or years after stroke.
Extended treatment windows
New imaging can identify which stroke patients might still benefit from clot removal 16 or even 24 hours after symptoms start. Trials are testing whether treatment can safely reach more people.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on stroke type (blocked vessel or bleed), time since stroke, severity of symptoms, and other medical conditions that affect treatment safety.
What types of trials are currently open
- Acute treatment trials — Testing clot-busting drugs, clot-removal devices, and brain-protecting drugs given in the first hours after stroke. These trials often happen in emergency departments.
- Prevention trials — Testing blood thinners, blood pressure drugs, and other treatments to prevent first or repeat strokes in people at high risk.
- Recovery trials — Testing rehabilitation approaches, brain stimulation, stem cells, and drugs to improve movement, speech, thinking, and other functions after stroke.
- Device trials — Testing mechanical devices that remove clots from brain arteries or close holes in the heart that can cause stroke.
- Observational studies — Following stroke survivors to understand how they recover, what predicts outcomes, and how treatments work in real-world settings.
Recently added Stroke trials
Feasibility Of Sleep Treatment Education in Stroke Rehabilitation Settings
Stroke is a leading cause of disability with over 1 million people in the UK living with the effects of stroke. Sleep is important for many aspects of daily life, but there is growing evidence that people sleep worse after a stroke, and this impacts negatively on rehabilitation outcomes and quality of life. Stroke survivors have highlighted to us that it is difficult to sleep in the hospital after a stroke, and they feel that sleep isn't perceived as high priority despite clear importance for next day function and healing. This project will develop and test a sleep education package for clinical staff and stroke survivors in the rehabilitation hospital. Specifically, we aim to (1) develop a training programme for staff and a toolkit of resources about sleep for staff and stroke survivors, (2) assess acceptability and usability of the package, and, following modifications, (3) assess the feasibility of delivery of the sleep education package and collecting data about patient's sleep.
Effects of Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) Along With Conventional Physical Therapy on Upper Limb Function, Strength, Range of Motion, and Spasticity in Patients With Subacute Stroke.
This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of IASTM (Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization) along with conventional physical therapy on function, strength, range of motion, and spasticity of the upper limb in patients with subacute stroke.
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