High levels of bilirubin exacerbated damage to neurons in the brain caused by a stroke by binding to the TRPM2 channel, which helped regulate cell death among other processes. The research, led by Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the University of Toronto and published March 14, 2023, in Neuron, showed that blocking the binding site for bilirubin in a mouse model led to improvements in neurotoxicity suggesting some potential for the development of new stroke therapeutics.