Angiotensin receptor (AT2R) agonist C21 prevents cognitive decline after permanent stroke in aged animals—A randomized double- blind pre-clinical study

Post stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is an understudied, long-term complication of stroke, impacting nearly 30–40% of all stroke survivors. No cure is available once the cognitive deterioration manifests. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the long-term effects of C21 treatment on the development of PSCI in aged animals. Treatments with C21 or vehicle were administered orally, 24 h post-stroke, and continued for 30 days. Outcome measures for sensorimotor and cognitive function were performed using a sequence of tests, all blindly conducted and assessed at baseline as well as at different time points post-stroke. Our findings demonstrate that the angiotensin receptor (AT2R) agonist C21 effectively prevents the development of PSCI in aged animals.