Two recent articles in The New York Times have highlighted stroke recovery research led by CanStroke Recovery Trials Platform Principal Investigator Dr. Sean Dukelow at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary. These stories underscore the significance of one of they key trials on the CanStroke Platform as well as highlights the momentum for developing new therapies that can improve long-term outcomes for people living with stroke.
The first article describes the CAMAROS (Canadian Maraviroc Randomized Controlled Trial To Augment Rehabilitation Outcomes After Stroke) trial, a multi-centre cross Canada study investigating whether the drug Maraviroc can enhance neuroplasticity and extend the window for brain recovery following stroke. The Calgary team is one of several partners contributing to this trial, which builds on previous preclinical and clinical observational evidence that targeting the CCR5 receptor may help the brain repair itself more effectively. CAMAROS is currently recruiting directly out of in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation units across 15 sites.
The second article highlights a the recent clinical trial looking at transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with intensive speech therapy for patients with post-stroke aphasia. Led by Dr. Dukelow’s team, this study suggests that TMS may help restore more efficient language networks, even months after the initial injury. Future clinical trials will look to explore this on a larger scale.
Together, these projects demonstrate how advances in neuroscience are challenging older assumptions that recovery after stroke is strictly limited. Instead, emerging evidence points to the brain’s capacity for meaningful reorganization when supported by targeted, evidence-based interventions.
We are grateful to the patients and families who partner with us in this research, and to the dedicated team of clinicians, scientists, and collaborators who are working to expand what is possible in stroke recovery.
Read more in The New York Times:
A Pill to Heal the Brain Could Revolutionize Neuroscience
3 Psychiatric Tools That Could Boost the Brain’s Natural Healing