Strokes are the second most common cause of death worldwide, and the leading cause of physical disabilities in adults. Approximately 80% of all cases of stroke are the result of ischemia, i.e. an acute lack of oxygen owing to the obstruction of blood flow through a cerebral artery in the brain. The individual level of risk for ischemic stroke is determined by a combination of genetic factors and pre-existing disorders, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. In collaboration with researchers at Cambridge University and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, SyNergy member Martin Dichgans (LMU Medical Center) has now shown that genetic data obtained from a single sample of blood or saliva can identify persons who have a three-fold higher risk (than the average for the population as a whole) of suffering an ischemic stroke. Moreover, this genetically based estimate of risk is as reliable, or even more so, than that based on the assessment of conventionally recognized clinical risk factors. Based on these results, the authors of the study conclude that individuals with a high genetic risk may need more meticulous monitoring and more intensive preventive interventions than current guidelines suggest. The new findings appear today in the online journal Nature Communication.