Stroke in the news: March/April 2026
Some big stories from around the world – including promising new research and the NHS making weight-loss drugs available to help reduce strokes.
Some big stories in the latest round-up of stroke news from around the world – including promising new research and the NHS making weight-loss drugs available to help reduce strokes.
Click on the pink links to read the full story.
NHS England to offer weight-loss drugs to 1.2m people to reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes
The NHS in England is to offer more than 1 million people weight-loss drugs to reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes. Semaglutide (Wegovy) is already available on the health service for some people living with obesity, and also offered under the brand name Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes.
Now people who are not obese but overweight and at risk of serious cardiovascular events will also be eligible for the weekly injections, after a watchdog gave the green light.
Stroke may secretly “rejuvenate” parts of the brain as it fights to recover
Research from the Keck School of Medicine of USC has shown that, after a stroke, the brain may do something surprisingly hopeful—it can “refresh” parts of itself.
Researchers analyzing brain scans from over 500 stroke survivors found that while the damaged side of the brain appears to age faster, the opposite, unaffected side can actually look younger. This unexpected shift seems to reflect the brain’s effort to rewire itself, strengthening healthy regions to compensate for lost function.
"We found that larger strokes accelerate aging in the damaged hemisphere but paradoxically make the opposite side of the brain appear younger," said Hosung Kim, PhD, associate professor of research neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and co-senior author of the study. "This pattern suggests the brain may be reorganizing itself, essentially rejuvenating undamaged networks to compensate for lost function."
Image: Stevens INI
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260328043556.htm
Spleen identified as new target in stroke recovery
Scientists have uncovered an important new link between the brain and immune system after stroke, which could lead to potential new treatments to improve recovery and reduce long-term disability.
In new research published in the international journal Frontiers in Immunology, researchers from La Trobe University and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute discovered that the spleen actively produces inflammatory immune cells after stroke that can worsen brain injury.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-spleen-recovery.html
Apollo neurologist lists the 7 lifestyle changes that can save you from stroke
Stroke is often perceived as a sudden, unpredictable catastrophe. In reality, it is one of the most preventable major diseases, if we pay attention to the warning signs our body gives us over time.
https://www.theweek.in/news/health/2026/03/30/apollo-neurologist-lists-the-7-lifestyle-changes-that-can-save-you-from-stroke.html
Stroke Cognition Calculator could help predict thinking problems after stroke
There is no single typical recovery pattern for cognition after stroke and families have reported feeling unprepared for these “invisible” effects when someone leaves hospital.
If clinicians can make an earlier and more informed estimate of who is more likely to have longer-term thinking problems, this could help plan more effective support for patients and families.
Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a “Stroke Cognition Calculator”, a new tool designed to estimate a person’s chance of having thinking and memory problems six months after a stroke.
Stroke survivors trial new at-home tech: "It's given me my freedom back"
Participants in the Triceps trial use a small electrical device that sits inside the ear and stimulates the vagus nerve - a major nerve connecting the brain and abdomen - while carrying out rehabilitation exercises.
Unlike earlier versions of vagus nerve stimulation, which required surgery to implant a device, this treatment is non-invasive and can be used at home.
"We have seen some wonderful improvements in people's arm function," Dr Baig says. But he also stresses the treatment is not a cure, rather something they hope will help people in everyday life."
