Posts by Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN
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Multiple Lesions Are More Frequent Than Previously Thought in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Using a large dataset of deep-profiled MR images, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital detected multiple lesions in 50% of patients with acute ischemic stroke, usually within one vascular territory. Overall, multiple lesions were linked to higher lesion volume and greater stroke severity.
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MRI-defined Acute Ischemic Brain Lesions Can Predict Long-term Outcome After Endovascular Thrombectomy for LVO Stroke
Robert Regenhardt, MD, PhD, and Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, of the Department of Neurology, and colleagues found that among patients with large vessel occlusion stroke, ischemic lesions identified by MRI after endovascular thrombectomy were associated with both acute stroke severity and 90-day functional outcome.
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No Sex Differences in Outcomes After Endovascular Thrombectomy for LVO Stroke
In a real-world analysis of patients treated with endovascular thrombectomy for stroke due to emergent large vessel occlusion, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found women and men had comparable reperfusion rates and 90-day functional outcomes, even though women were older and had more pre-stroke disability.
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Acute Ischemic Stroke Outcomes Linked to Sex-Specific Lesion Patterns
Anna K. Bonkhoff, MD, and Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, of the Kistler Stroke Research Center, and colleagues found considerable sex differences in the lesion patterns that underlie the severity of acute ischemic stroke. Further investigation may lead to sex-specific approaches to stroke management.
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Post-Thrombectomy White Matter Infarct Volume a Strong Determinant of Disability After Large-Vessel Occlusion Stroke
Robert W. Regenhardt, MD, PhD, and Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, of the Department of Neurology, and colleagues have linked the extent of post-thrombectomy white matter infarction to the chance of gaining functional independence after anterior large-vessel occlusion stroke.
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MGH Research Scholars Respond to COVID-19
This video highlights how the MGH Research Scholars rapidly mobilized to address key medical and scientific challenges posed by COVID-19.
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Sex Differences in Microvascular Integrity Tied to Different Outcomes After Ischemic Stroke
Women's poorer functional outcomes after acute ischemic stroke, compared with men, may be due to sex differences in the structural integrity of cerebral white matter and the permeability of the blood–brain barrier.
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The Potential Power of Brain MRI in Predicting Stroke Risk and Recovery: A Q&A with Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH
In this Q&A, Dr. Rost discusses her work on developing neuroimaging markers of cerebrovascular disease, stroke genetics and big data science for outcome prediction in patients with acute stroke.
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Vascular Risk Factors Influence Spatial Specificity of White Matter Hyperintensity
White matter hyperintensity, one of the most important radiographic manifestations of chronic cerebral ischemia, does not develop homogeneously throughout the brain—its distribution is affected by common vascular risk factors.
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Deep Learning Automated Algorithms Accurately Segment Stroke Lesions
Researchers have demonstrated that a fully automated ensemble of algorithms, trained to phenotype one center's MRI scans of patients with ischemic stroke, can be transferred to evaluate MRI data from other centers accurately—facilitating a big data approach to genome-wide association studies of stroke.
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Poor Stroke Outcomes in Women Associated with Loss of White Matter Structure
Reduced fractional anisotropy suggestive of loss of white matter organization correlated with worse functional outcomes after acute ischemic stroke in women, but not in men
Biography
Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN, is chief of Stroke Division at Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Neurology and professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. A cum laude graduate of Boston University School of Medicine, she also holds a master's degree from Harvard School of Public Health. Rost trained in neurology and vascular neurology at Partners (Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital) residency and fellowship programs.
Rost is a clinician-scientist and international expert on neuroimaging markers of cerebrovascular disease, stroke genetics, and big data science for outcome prediction in patients with acute stroke. Her line of research on the role of white matter disease burden and mechanisms of brain resilience in stroke has been continuously funded since 2007, and Rost is currently principal investigator of two NIH R01 awards and is the Samana Cay MGH Research Scholar. As of September 2019, Rost leads DISCOVERY (Determinants of Incident Stroke Cognitive Outcomes and Vascular Effects on RecoverY), a new collaborative national network supported jointly by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institute of Aging (U19NS115388), which consists of 4 cores and 30 premier academic clinical sites with access to acute stroke populations and the expertise and capacity for systematic assessment of post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia. DISCOVERY will become a landmark study to unravel the mechanisms of post-stroke cognitive disability, early stroke recovery, and potential targets for personalized stroke prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation.
Rost is an author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, a co-author of the MGH Handbook of Neurology, and medical editor of the Harvard Medical School Special Health Report on stroke. She is an accomplished mentor, clinical educator, and recipient of the 2017 MGH Neurology Department’s Ray Adams Clinical Mentor Award and of the 2012 Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Award from the American Academy of Neurology. She serves as Assistant Editor of the journal Stroke and Chair of the Science Committee of the American Academy of Neurology.
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