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Every year, the Stroke Association dedicates the month of May to raising awareness for stroke. This year, the campaign to ‘Save research. Rebuild lives’ aims to raise awareness around how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected charitable income, thereby threatening new research opportunities.

To commemorate Stroke Awareness Month and it’s key message to ‘Save research. Rebuild lives’ this year, we are highlighting research from the Stroke Association’s Gateway on our partner platform, AMRC Open Research.

Find out more about the Stroke Association Gateway with AMRC Open Research with this Q&A >>

But first, Terry Quinn (University of Glasgow, UK), discusses the impact of open research in advancing stroke research.

To start with, could you introduce yourself?

I am Terry Quinn, I am a Senior Clinical Lecturer with University of Glasgow and Consultant in Stroke Care in the NHS.   

Could you tell me a little more about your field of research?

I am particularly interested in the neuropsychological consequences of stroke and some of my recent projects have looked at delirium in acute stroke; cognitive screening and the natural history of cognitive change following stroke.

What inspired you to investigate social engagement after stroke?

As part of a Program Grant supported by Stroke Association and Chief Scientist Office Scotland, I set up a suite of projects to look at predictors of post stroke dementia. The brilliant PhD student who worked on these projects, Bogna Drozdowska, wanted to look at associations beyond the traditional biomedical risk factors like age, blood pressure and genetics. Feedback from stroke survivors was that social engagement had helped their recovery – so we looked at the data to see if there was a true association.

Find out more – read the full Research Article in the Stroke Association Gateway with AMRC Open Research >>

What challenges remain in the field of stroke research?

We have made huge progress in prevention and management of acute stroke – all driven by research. We now need to turn our energy and attention to the longer-term consequences of stroke. Tackling issues like post stroke dementia, fatigue and depression is not easy but has the potential to make a huge difference to stroke survivors.

What impact do you feel your research may have had on helping patients following a stroke?

All of my research has benefitted from the input of people with lived experience of stroke. In return, I hope that we produce stroke research that makes a difference to them. As one example, stroke survivors told us that  standard cognitive tests were too long and not feasible for use immediately following a stroke – so we developed short screening tools that allow for clinically useful assessment and are less of a burden to staff and patients. 

What is the next step for your research/what are you interested in exploring next?

There are so many unanswered questions around the neuropsychological consequences of stroke – the difficulty is choosing which questions to prioritise. I am currently working on projects that include care-giver support, frailty assessment and possible treatments for cognitive decline.

You have both submitted research to AMRC Open Research and Peer Reviewed content in the Stroke Association Gateway – what impact do you feel open research and transparent peer review may have in the field of stroke research, or with the wider scientific community?

In my role as joint coordinating editor of Cochrane Dementia, I have seen how publication bias can skew data and potentially create a misleading evidence base. Research data needs to be easy and free to access for all researchers and consumers across the world. 

Finally, do you have any additional comments you would like to add around Stroke Action Month and the importance of openness in research in this area?

The huge advances that have happened in stroke care have been driven by research. I have been fortunate enough to have research support from the Stroke Association and other charity funders. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit these funders hard. Really hard. Money is tight for everyone at the moment, but if you have anything spare, and you believe in the power of research, then now would be a good time to think about making a charity donation.

Editor’s picks from AMRC Open Research

Explore some of the top articles published in the Stroke Association Gateway and elsewhere on AMRC Open Research, as chosen by our Editors:

• Optimising Psychoeducation for Transient Ischaemic Attack and Minor Stroke Management (OPTIMISM): Protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial
• Social engagement after stroke – is it relevant to cognitive function? A cross-sectional analysis of UK Biobank data
• Solution Focused brief therapy In post-stroke Aphasia (SOFIA Trial): protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial
• Pentraxin 3 regulates neutrophil infiltration to the brain during neuroinflammation
• Real-world Independent Testing of e-ASPECTS Software (RITeS): statistical analysis plan