Aging immune reactions to released mitochondria worsen thinking and memory after stroke
Aging Immunity to Extracellular Mitochondria Exacerbates Vascular Cognitive Impairment After Stroke
This project explores whether age-related immune changes make mitochondria released after stroke trigger inflammation that worsens thinking and memory in older stroke survivors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11330565 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, scientists will compare young and aged brains after stroke to see how immune cells handle mitochondria released from damaged cells. They will use laboratory models of stroke, examine microglia and macrophage recycling pathways (including SQSTM1-LC3-Rab27 and Rab27a), and test what happens when these pathways are blocked. The team will measure tagged mitochondria and complement proteins in blood and spleen samples to link immune changes with worse blood-vessel and brain outcomes. The goal is to find whether restoring protective mitochondrial recycling or blocking harmful immune tagging could reduce vascular-related thinking problems after stroke.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Older adults who have had a stroke and are experiencing or are at risk for vascular-related thinking and memory problems would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: People without a history of stroke or whose cognitive decline is driven entirely by non-vascular causes are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to new ways to prevent or reduce vascular cognitive decline after stroke by restoring protective mitochondrial recycling or blocking harmful immune tagging.
How similar studies have performed: The investigators have pilot animal and cell data supporting this mechanism, but applying this specific mitochondrial–immune link to human patients is a novel step that has not yet been proven.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hayakawa, Kazuhide — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Hayakawa, Kazuhide
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.