On Nov. 26, 2024, scientists at Texas A&M University announced they have found that healing the gut may be the key to improving long-term recovery in stroke patients. The team demonstrated how a drug that was effective at protecting the brain in the immediate aftermath of a stroke failed to prevent long-term cognitive impairment when applied only to the brain. The same drug, when applied to the gut, reduced impairment significantly.

In the 2024 study, a treatment applied directly to the gut — a dose of Insulin-like Growth Factor or IGF-1 — was shown to significantly reduce post-stroke inflammation and cognitive impairment. The team’s investigation showed that the structures in the gut that become damaged after a stroke appeared to be repaired by the IGF-1 treatment, reinforcing the idea that healing the gut is crucial in facilitating stroke recovery.

The study was published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.