Brain cell death during stroke due to calcium removal
During a stroke the blood supply to the brain stops, causing the death of nerve cells and the release of neurotransmitters. These, in turn, trigger a flood of calcium and more widespread cell death. A collaborative project by the MRC’s Toxicology Unit and the Universities of Manchester in the UK and Padua in Italy has found that this widespread neuron death is due to a calcium-removal mechanism, rather than the influx of calcium that was previously blamed. The findings could lead to the development of drugs to reduce cell death in patients who have had strokes or who have degenerative brain diseases.
Cell 2005; 120: 275-285