Stroke Damage May Lead to Heart Attack

Massachusetts scientists using new imaging techniques have identified an area of the brain that, when affected by a stroke, may also cause heart damage.

The study by researchers at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital finds stroke patients with damage to the right insula, an area deep within the brain, were much more likely to also have biochemical evidence of myocardial damage occurring in the days following their stroke.

The link between the brain and the heart in stroke patients is fascinating, said Dr. A. Gregory Sorensen, the paper’s senior author. The connection is believed to be through the autonomic nervous system, but what the mechanism is has been unclear, said Sorensen.

By finding a specific brain area associated with a dramatically increased risk of heart damage, we can identify at-risk patients when they arrive at the hospital and put them on protective therapy, which should have a direct impact on their care, he added.

Their study will appear in the May 9 issue of the journal Neurology and has received early online release.