Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Research

The Division of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian has been pursuing cutting-edge clinical research for over 30 years. Faculty within our division conduct NIH- and foundation-sponsored research in all facets of stroke and cerebrovascular disease.

Our investigators currently run a number of stroke clinical trials, including the investigation of surgical and stent revascularization of high-grade carotid stenosis to improve cognitive function, vascular contributions to cognitive impairment after adverse pregnancy outcomes, and the benefits of rapid outpatient referral in the Emergency Department to reduce hospitalization and prevent stroke recurrence. In the area of health disparities, stroke researchers are running a clinical trial to assess the impact of post-stroke home visits by a community health worker, social worker, and nurse to mitigate social determinants of health (SDOH) barriers and improve stroke outcomes in Black and Hispanic stroke patients, and others are testing the use of telemedicine to improve stroke outcomes in underserved populations. Our group is also involved in NIH-sponsored, multi-center trials, including the use of CPAP for stroke recovery in acute stroke-related sleep apnea, the use of surgery and stenting versus medical therapy to reduce stroke risk in asymptomatic carotid artery disease, the potential benefits of statins and anticoagulants after intracranial hemorrhage, and the use of a novel monoclonal Ab thrombolytic agent for treatment of acute stroke.

In the laboratory, our basic scientists are investigating the molecular basis of blood-brain barrier breakdown in acute stroke, neuronal regulation of vascular development and maturation in the retina, cellular mechanisms of acute intracranial hemorrhage, and how brain arteries remodel in response to atherosclerotic stress factors. They are also using a novel neurovascular unit system to investigate genetic and age-related risk factors in Alzheimer’s disease and the effects of peripheral immune activation of the neurovascular unit following traumatic brain injury.

Our faculty have led the country in population and community-based research, as well. The  Northern Manhattan Study, a landmark epidemiological effort, was established in 1990, and has contributed to groundbreaking knowledge of stroke risk in minority populations. This study and other Columbia epidemiological studies of stroke risk factors in children and adults have continued to move the field forward in the investigation of novel stroke risk factors and stroke genetics.

Areas of Research

• Blood-brain barrier biology
• Cerebral hemodynamics and vascular physiology
• CNS and retina vascular biology
• Dynamic imaging of the CNS vasculature
• Neurocardiology
• Community-based outreach interventions
• Relationship between infection, inflammation, and stroke
• Stroke epidemiology
• Stroke in women, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
• Stroke in the young

Studies