E-Mail IMAGE: Autologous bone-marrow mononuclear cells were intravenously administered in patients with acute ischemic stroke as procedure outline in panel A. The non-treated patients were recruited separately. Both groups were imaged... view more Credit: AlphaMed Press Durham, NC - Results of a clinical trial released in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine provide evidence that treating patients with an injection of bone marrow cells may lead to a reduction in brain injury after a stroke. The study was conducted by Muhammad E. Haque, Ph.D., Sean I. Savitz, M.D., and colleagues from the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. "Nearly 90 percent of patients who suffer an ischemic stroke - the most common type of stroke - exhibit weakness or paralysis to one side of the body," Dr. Haque said. "Injuries to the corticospinal tract (CST), which is the main white matter connection in the brain responsible for carrying movement-related information to the spinal cord, is the primary cause of this motor function impairment. In stroke animal models, we've seen how bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) attenuate secondary degeneration and enhance recovery, including white matter tract remodeling. That led us to our current study."