Flick of a whisker can prevent stroke damage in rats

Study suggests sensory stimulation could provide nondrug method for protecting human patients

SAN DIEGO — In the two-hour window after a stroke, flicking a single whisker completely prevents many damaging effects in a rat, a new study finds. The cheap, simple intervention, described November 15 at a news conference at the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting, may represent a new way to minimize disability after a stroke.