text_1: Mice regrow brain tissue after stroke with bioengineered gel
text_2: The news release summarizes a study on whether a gel — introduced into stroke-damaged areas of mouse brains — can stimulate the regrowth of neurons and blood vessels. The findings suggest that it can. But that’s a far cry from proving that this regrowth can function as normal brain tissue and, therefore, be “stroke-healing” in humans. Still, the news release is one of the better releases we’ve seen in terms of  making it clear that the study was in mice. Mice is referenced in the headline and throughout. Compared to many news releases we review that have to do with rodent research, this one was also more cautious with its language than most. A more substantial discussion of the harms and benefits of this experimental treatment would have made the release even stronger. This study is part of a growing body of research called “stroke neural repair,” referring to the  replacement of brain tissue damaged by a lack of blood flow, with new brain tissue. Although stroke is declining as a cause of death in the US, the fact that mortality from stroke is declining faster than the incidence, means we’re likely to see an increase in the number of people who become chronically disabled from the disease. That’s why there’s such intense interest in repairing brain tissue damaged from stroke. As further headway is made in this important area of research, some key questions for journalists and readers will be: is the new growth really functioning brain tissue? If so, how do we know it’s truly functional? And ultimately, the most difficult question of all, can it work in an integrated way with the rest of the brain?