Vitamin B3 may help repair brain after a stroke

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital found that rats who suffered induced ischemic strokes showed signs of blood vessel growth and new nerve cells in their brains after being treated with vitamin B3. Ischemic strokes, the most common type, occur when vessels become blocked and blood can't get to the brain.

The hospital is now testing vitamin B3 treatments on people who've had a stroke, according to a news release from the Henry Ford Health System.

"If this proves to also woak well in our human trials, we'll then have the benefit of a low-cost, easily tolerable treatment for one of the most neurologically devastating conditions," Michael Chopp, scientific director of the Henry Ford Neuroscience Institute, said in the news release.

The researchers noted that niacin is already known as an effective treatment to boost levels of "good" cholesterol, which appear to be very low in people immediately after a stroke.

"Niacin essentially rewires the brain, which has very exciting potential for use in humans," Chopp said. "The results of this study may also open doors in other areas of neurological medicine, including brain injury."

Chopp was scheduled to present the results of his animal research at the International Stroke Conference, held Feb. 23 to 26 in San Antonio, Texas.

Tips To Improve Brainpower

Small modifications can assist you stay clever later in life and could keep your intelligence in best shape.

On "The Early Show Saturday Edition," Dr. Cynthia Green, Ph.D., has explicated a few tips for the same.

Green and the editors of Prevention magazine said, "Brainpower Game Plan: Sharpen Your Memory, Improve Your Concentration, and Age-Proof Your Mind in Just 4 Weeks."

Exercise: Go for a walk or jog, swim - anything to make yourself moving.

Look for new challenges: Search for some easy methods to push you out of your intellectual routine each day, like – brushing teeth with non-dominant hand, taking a new way to work.

Get your head in the game: Spend 10 to 20 minutes each day giving your daily intellectual skills a good exercise by playing games, which need you to play quickly. Play board games such as Boggle or Set.