Green Mamba Snake Venom Hormone May Cause "Second Stroke" In Patients With Brain Aneurysms, Mayo Clinic Discovers

A Mayo Clinic research team is focusing on a hormone previously identified in the venom of the green mamba snake for the role it may play in a dangerous blood vessel narrowing in stroke patients that can lead to a second stroke, reduced blood flow and brain damage. Called “cerebral vasospasm,” this common complication of stroke occurs in approximately one-third of patients who experience a ruptured brain blood vessel. Its cause is not known. By discovering a possible role for this hormone, Mayo Clinic researchers are establishing the conceptual foundations for a new treatment for cerebral vasospasm. Their report occurs in the current issue of Neurosurgery, (http://www.neurosurgery-online.com ).