Stroke sufferers aided by companionship - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Having the support of friends and family could be the difference between life and death if you suffer a stroke. Researchers at Ohio State University induced a stroke in male mice that either lived with a female partner or alone. They found all those that lived with a partner were still alive after seven days of having the stroke, compared to 40% percent of those that lived alone. Stroke sufferers that lived alone also suffered four times more brain damage.

Researchers say the mice that had a partner had less nerve damage, and that may have contributed to their survival. The study also showed mice that lived alone had higher amounts of inflammatory proteins in the brain, which could have increased brain damage.