Cerebral Infarction Mechanisms in Ischemic Stroke
Summary
Ischaemic stroke arises when cerebral blood flow is critically reduced, depriving neural tissue of oxygen and glucose. The primary event is often thromboembolic occlusion of a major artery, though small‐vessel narrowing and systemic hypoperfusion can also precipitate infarction. Within minutes, energy failure triggers a cascade of excitotoxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation. Neurones in the core region undergo rapid necrosis, while surrounding penumbral tissue is functionally impaired yet potentially salvageable. Reperfusion, whether spontaneous or therapy-induced, can limit final infarct volume but also provoke secondary injury through free-radical generation, blood–brain barrier disruption and microvascular thrombosis. Collateral circulation and autoregulatory capacity modulate the extent of ischaemic damage and influence clinical outcome. Understanding these interlinked processes has underpinned advances in reperfusion strategies, neuroprotective approaches and patient stratification.
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Cerebral Infarction Mechanisms in Ischemic Stroke publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in cerebral infarction mechanisms in ischemic stroke across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Cerebral infarction: irreversible neuronal and glial death due to prolonged ischaemia.
Ischaemic penumbra: hypoperfused yet potentially salvageable brain tissue surrounding the infarct core.
Reperfusion injury: secondary tissue damage caused by restoration of blood flow, involving oxidative stress and inflammation.
Collateral circulation: auxiliary vascular pathways that maintain perfusion when primary arteries are occluded.
Watershed infarction: infarcts occurring in border zones between major cerebral arteries, often due to hypoperfusion or microemboli.
References
- Clinical features and the degree of cerebrovascular stenosis in different types and subtypes of cerebral watershed infarction. BMC Neurology (2017).
- Clinical, imaging features and outcome in internal carotid artery versus middle cerebral artery disease. PLOS ONE (2019).
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