Here's our latest round up of news, culled from journals and websites from all around the globe, on new developments and scientific studies on stroke.

From research identifying risk factors, to studies indicating potential new treatments... it's all here! Just click the pink links to read more.


Common form of stroke may not be due to blocked arteries, study finds

The cause of a type of stroke that affects about 35,000 people across the UK each year has been uncovered by researchers and may explain why some medications are ineffective as treatment. Lacunar strokes, which account for a quarter of all strokes in the UK, had been linked to the blockage of arteries in the brain by fatty deposits.

However, a study at the University of Edinburgh suggests they are not caused by blocked arteries but by the enlargement and widening of arteries in the brain. This would help to explain why aspirin and other blood thinners, commonly used to prevent ischaemic strokes, are not as effective in preventing lacunar stroke.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/06/lacunar-strokes-caused-widening-arteries-brain-study

New study links three factors to higher stroke risk in adults

The US study analyzed close to 500,000 adults who had no history of stroke. During a follow-up almost 14 years into the study, researchers found that 11,814 of the participants had suffered a stroke. 

They looked at the adults’ muscle strength, muscle loss and walking pace and found that low muscle strength, high muscle loss and slow walking pace were all common in the participants who had experienced a stroke. The study also showed that these factors led to higher mortality rates after suffering a stroke.

https://www.deseret.com/lifestyle/2026/05/08/muscle-loss-weak-grip-slow-walking-pace-linked-higher-stroke-risk/

Heart attack, stroke, and dementia risk may be higher for older people who can’t afford dental care

A new Boston University–led study has found that older people who forgo necessary dental procedures because of cost may be at higher risk for heart failure, heart attack, stroke, or dementia. They concluded that eliminating the financial barriers that prevented people from receiving dental care could prevent 2 to 4 percent of each outcome among older adults.https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/health-risk-poor-dental-care/

Very low and very high heart rates both found to be significantly associated with stroke risk in novel study

These findings from the largest population-level study to examine this relationship can be seen to challenge prior assumptions that lower heart rates carry no risk and are always a sign of good cardiovascular fitness.

Stroke risk was lowest at resting heart rates of 60–69bpm but increased at both extremes—below 50bpm, and at or above 90bpm—forming a clear ‘U-shaped pattern’. At these extremes, stroke risk was 25% higher in those with very low heart rates and 45% higher in those with very high heart rates. 

https://cardiacrhythmnews.com/very-low-and-very-high-heart-rates-both-found-to-be-significantly-associated-with-stroke-risk-in-novel-study/

Predicting online motor learning after stroke in lower limb task using machine learning

Machine Learning (ML) offers a data-driven approach to identify predictors of online motor learning that would otherwise be limited using traditional statistical approaches, such as logistic regression. This study leveraged ML to determine key predictors and their relative importance in online motor learning after stroke. 

One hundred and seven stroke survivors completed assessments of sociodemographic, stroke characteristics, health-related, functional, cognitive, and physical capacity. Online motor learning was quantified using a goal-directed ankle task.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-50638-4

Heart attacks and strokes rising with extreme weather events, research suggests

Extreme weather is fueling a rise in heart attacks and strokes, with heat waves and cold snaps contributing to the rise, according to new research. The findings, presented at the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) congress, analyzed data from more than 8 million residents of Eastern Poland between 2011 and 2020.

In heat waves, the impact is immediate. On the day of the weather occurrence, major cardiovascular events spiked by 7.5%, while cardiovascular deaths jumped by 9.5%, according to the report. The impact of a cold wave is delayed but sustained. The risk of major events rose between 4% and 5.9% in the days following exposure. 

Air pollution intensified the risks of extreme temperatures, the data showed. Approximately 13% of all cardiovascular deaths were attributed to pollution, representing more than 71,000 years of life lost over the 10-year period.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/heart-attacks-strokes-rising-extreme-weather-events-research-suggests

New blood-thinning drug cuts second stroke risk without bleeding trade-off

Research suggests the investigational drug asundexian could reduce the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke in those who have recently experienced a stroke or high risk transient ischemic attack (TIA). Unlike many existing anti-clotting treatments, it did not increase major or intracranial bleeding, addressing a major limitation of current therapies.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/new-blood-thinning-drug-cuts-second-stroke-risk-without-bleeding-trade-off


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