This Week in Neurology: Stroke Interventions and Schizophrenia Findings

This week's research roundup begins with a systematic review published in Schizophrenia research that examined cerebrovascular changes in patients with the disorder. The study evaluated 11,611 patients and controls from international and Chinese databases, though the authors note inconclusive evidence regarding increased white matter hyperintensities or subcortical infarcts in schizophrenia relative to controls ^[1].

Meanwhile, attention turns to acute stroke management with a secondary analysis in Stroke and vascular neurology. Researchers evaluated remote ischaemic conditioning in 1717 patients with acute moderate ischaemic stroke. While the findings suggest a potential benefit for non-smokers, the authors describe this as a post hoc subgroup analysis and advise considering the intervention cautiously ^[2].

Elsewhere this week, a separate study in Topics in stroke rehabilitation investigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for managing post-stroke shoulder pain. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated rTMS in over 500 stroke survivors, with the authors suggesting that the therapy may reduce pain in the short term based on significant findings ^[3].

A separate analysis in Neurorehabilitation and neural repair looked at virtual reality applications, specifically semi-immersive VR for hand function in patients with hemiplegia after stroke. The meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials noted considerable heterogeneity when interpreting the benefits of this therapy for hand function ^[4].

Finally, we also saw research in CNS drugs regarding pharmacological interventions for acute ischemic stroke. A post hoc analysis of a phase 3 RCT involving 692 patients found no significant difference in excellent functional outcome at 90 days between argatroban plus alteplase and alteplase alone during the day. However, the authors suggest that argatroban plus alteplase may be associated with better nighttime stroke outcomes, though further validation is needed ^[5].