Low-dose radiation effective for stroke

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ischemic stroke are major public health concerns and leading causes of death and disability worldwide.

A research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) neuroscientists recently discovered that low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR), such as X-ray irradiation, can reduce lesion size and reverse motor deficits in TBI and ischemic stroke mice, demonstrating that LDIR may be a promising therapeutic strategy for TBI and stroke patients.

It has long been known that low-dose X-ray irradiation can enhance adaptive responses, including extending average life expectancy, stimulating the immune system, healing wounds and stimulating cell growth in animals as well as neuroprotection in animal model of neurodegenerative diseases, primarily due to immunomodulation. Based on these studies, Professor Ma and his team speculated that the immunomodulatory effects of LDIR could play a pivotal role in mitigating damage and promoting wound healing after brain injury.

In their recent study, they found that low-dose X-ray irradiation completely reversed the motor deficits in TBI and stroke mice and restored brain activity after stroke. More importantly, low-dose X-ray irradiation treatment delayed by eight hours was still effective in allowing a complete recovery of motor function after stroke, which is highly clinically relevant in the translation of the findings into clinical applications, since this is very likely to happen in the clinical setting, where hours could elapse before any treatment is available.

Source: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.