Stroke is one of the major diseases affecting some 27,000 people in Sweden each year and 17 million worldwide. Of the patients who survive a stroke, approximately one third experience lifelong loss of functionality that among other things affects mobility, speech, thought, and memory. Several biological mechanisms that inhibit the plasticity and functional recovery of the injured brain have been demonstrated in experimental animal models. Recently a whole new “brake mechanism” was identified via the so-called mGluR5 receptor (metabotropic glutamate receptor 5). Treatment with a molecule that blocks mGluR5, shows significant recovery of mobility even in cases where treatment began several days after the stroke. mGluR5 blockers in combination with general exercise gives a synergistic effect that enhances the effect of the treatment. The project concerns the development of mGluR5 blockers for the treatment of stroke patients.
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