Targeting Stroke-Induced Brain Swelling in Obese Subjects: Role of VEGF

While stroke is the leading cause of disability in the U.S., treatment options for stroke patients to reduce post-stroke impairment and/or enhance recovery are very limited. Despite tremendous research efforts, there have been difficulties in translating the positive effects observed in animal studies to clinical settings. The current proposal addresses these challenging issues by including obesity, a prevalent risk factor in an animal model. The proposal is relevant to the NIH’s mission because understanding of stroke pathology in obese subjects could lead to the development of agent(s) to treat patients with obesity, a common risk factor.