Cure a stroke by stroking a whisker?

[n2doc]

Whisker Stimulation Prevents Strokes in Rats; Stimulating Fingers, Lips and Face May Also Work in Humans
ScienceDaily (July 13, 2010) — Talk about surviving by a whisker. The most common type of stroke can be completely prevented in rats by stimulating a single whisker, according to a new study by UC Irvine researchers.

Strokes are the No. 3 cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer. About 795,000 Americans suffer them annually, according to the American Heart Association, and more than 137,000 die as a result.

So should we be tickling our own whiskers? And what about women, who are less likely to have facial hair? While it's too soon to tell if the findings will translate to humans, researchers say it's possible, and stubble is not required. We have sensitive body parts wired to the same area of the brain as rodents' fine-tuned whiskers.

In people, "stimulating the fingers, lips or face in general could all have a similar effect," says UCI doctoral student Melissa Davis, co-author of the study, which appears in the June issue of PLoS ONE.
"It's gender-neutral," adds co-author Ron Frostig, professor of neurobiology & behavior.

more

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100713152423.htm


UCI researchers found that mechanically stroking a single whisker activated a rat’s cerebral cortex – seen lighting up in magenta and blue – and prompted obstructed blood to take other routes to the brain. (Credit: Photo illustration by Christopher Lay and Cynthia Chen-Bee)

[independentpiney]

1. I constantly stroke my chin whiskers-nervous habit

Didn't help, I've had two moderate strokes in the past 10 years.

[Duer 157099]

2. Is this a form of homeopathy?

The disesase is the cure: stroke as a cure for stroke

(that's a joke)