The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded a $942,492 Project Grant under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. The purpose of this 5-year grant is to determine whether silent brain infarcts (SBIs) observed in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (SICH) are associated with worse cognitive outcomes, white matter hyperintensity progression, and increased systemic inflammation. The research aims to establish SBIs as a biomarker for vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) in SICH patients and elucidate potential mechanisms linking SBIs to VCID development. This innovative study will employ novel neuroimaging techniques and measure blood-based biomarkers like soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) to better understand the relationship between SBIs, white matter changes, inflammation, and cognitive dysfunction in SICH survivors.
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