Flavonoid-Mediated Protection Against A Novel Mode of Stroke Related Injury

Stroke is the third most common cause of death and a major cause of long term disability in the United States. Excess release of the neurotransmitter glutamate is associated with the brain cell degeneration present in stroke and traumatic brain injury. While much is known about how stroke and excess glutamate causes brain injury in the short term, fewer studies have focused on the mechanisms of long term damage. Preliminary evidence has indicated the presence of a novel mechanism by which excess glutamate can cause longer term damage in neural cells. This preliminary work also indicated that antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are found commonly in fruits and vegetables, can protect against this glutamate mediated damage. I will use well accepted cell culture methods to model the effects of stroke in neural cells by exposing them to high levels of glutamate and assessing the damage in the presence and absence of flavonoids