Genetics of strokes caused by a broken blood vessel

A stroke is when the blood supply to part of your brain gets cut off or reduced. This means oxygen and nutrients do not get to that part of the brain. Within minutes, brain cells start to die. You want to seek treatment as fast as you can. Early treatment can reduce brain damage and possible complications. We can also prevent strokes in some cases. There are two types of strokes. One happens when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked. This is an ischemic stroke. Ischemic means blocked or reduced blood flow. The other is when a blood vessel in the brain breaks. This is a hemorrhagic stroke. Hemorrhagic means bleeding. Blood spills into or around the brain. Either way, strokes damage and kill brain cells. Hemorrhagic strokes are harder to treat. They cause more deaths than a stroke from a blocked blood vessel. They also happen to people earlier in life. Researchers think that genetics play a part in who is at risk for a stroke. Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will use BioVU to study both types of hemorrhagic strokes. The ones that cause bleeding in the brain and those that cause bleeding around the brain. They will look for a link between gene changes and each type of hemorrhagic stroke. The goal is to help us figure out who may be at risk for hemorrhagic stroke. Their results may help us find a way to stop them from happening. They could also help us find new ways to treat these strokes.