Authors: Catherine E. Downes, Connie H. Y. Wong, Katya J. Henley, Pedro L. Guio-Aguilar, Moses Zhang, Robert Ates, Ashley Mansell, Benjamin T. Kile, Peter J. Crack
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057948
Abstract Summary
New research reveals that immune cells from bone marrow play a surprising protective role in stroke recovery. Scientists found that MyD88, a key inflammatory signaling protein, helps reduce brain damage after stroke—but only when present in blood cells, not brain cells directly. This challenges assumptions about neuroinflammation being purely harmful and suggests immune cell infiltration may actually be neuroprotective.
Why Brain? 🧠
MyD88 protein in immune cells provides neuroprotection after stroke. Mice lacking MyD88 had larger brain infarcts, but this was reversed when they received normal immune cells, showing peripheral immunity helps limit stroke damage.
The image is AI-generated for illustrative purposes only. Courtesy of Midjourney.
