Emerging pharmacotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of ischemic stroke

Delayed brain damage occurs within hours after ischemic stroke, even if cerebral blood flow is restored quickly enough to prevent immediate neuronal death. Major triggers of ischemic neuronal death are increased intracellular calcium concentrations, accumulation of reactive oxygen species, apoptotic signaling, and inflammatory reactions. Emerging neuroprotective strategies either interfere with cell death cascades or support endogenous survival signaling, or induce neurogenesis thereby preserving brain tissue, neuronal plasticity and functional outcome after stroke.

Section editors:David Sibley – National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USAC. Anthony Altar – Psychiatric Genomics, Gaithersburg, USATheresa Branchek – Lundbeck Research, Paramus, USA