James F. Meschia, M.D.

Location

SUMMARY

James F. Meschia, M.D., is a neurology researcher who studies stroke. Dr. Meschia's main research interests and goals are to use biochemical and molecular genetic techniques to advance the development of biomarkers to assess risk of stroke and related stroke injury and to identify new drug targets for stroke therapies. Dr. Meschia also leads multicenter randomized clinical trials to advance evidence-based medicine.

Focus areas

• Dr. Meschia investigates blood and imaging biomarkers of cognitive impairment and recovery after stroke of all types, including cerebral infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• Dr. Meschia leads a multicenter, multinational randomized clinical trial to study the role of carotid revascularization (mechanically opening a carotid artery) in patients with atherosclerotic carotid stenosis in the setting of modern intensive medical therapy.
• Dr. Meschia is conducting a nested substudy within a randomized trial of carotid revascularization versus medical management to study the potential benefits of carotid revascularization on cognitive outcomes.

Significance to patient care

About 10% of patients with acute stroke have preexisting dementia, and about 20% will develop dementia within 1 to 2 years after a stroke. Dr. Meschia's research is helping discover blood and imaging biomarkers to create better tools to predict who is at risk of stroke and to develop molecular targets for novel therapies to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment. Currently, the only medical intervention is to focus on preventing recurrent stroke. Ideally, biomarkers for cognitive impairment could be assessed in the acute or subacute period after stroke so that interventions could be initiated to prevent post-stroke dementia.

Professional highlights

• Frances Bartlett Kinne, Ph.D., Professorship, Mayo Clinic, 2022