News Health & Medicine Vitamin relative may aid stroke repair By Nathan Seppa October 9, 2001 at 12:30 pm - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Vitamin C can’t pass through the so-called blood-brain barrier to gain entry into the brain, but its precursor, dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), can. Thanks to this trait, DHA might help stroke patients retain the use of endangered parts of their brains, a new study finds. When a clot shuts off blood flow to part of the brain, patients sometimes receive powerful clot-busting drugs to reopen the blocked vessel.