1). The largest study to date to find lower levels of t-PA in small vessel stroke is the Sahlgrenska cohort, Sweden [37]: among 600 patients with ischemic stroke, including 124 with small vessel stroke, small vessel stroke patients had higher t-PA levels compared to non-stroke controls in the acute phase and at 3 months, but lower t-PA levels compared to patients with other stroke subtypes. The reduced t-PA is consistent with the impaired blood-brain barrier function found in the same cohort previously [38]. Here, PLAT is linked to small vessel stroke.