[Pathology and strategies for the treatment of ischemic brain injury]

Cerebral ischemia, a pathological condition in which brain tissue experiences a shortage or lack of glucose and oxygen, provokes an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that may lead clinically to a progressive dementia and global cognitive deterioration. Accumulating evidence indicates many biochemical cascades that lead ultimately to ischemia-induced cell death. However, the cellular and molecular aspects of cerebral ischemia are not yet fully understood. Since the pattern of pathophysiological alterations is not the same for all cells in the ischemic brain, a good understanding of the cellular and molecular alterations induced by cerebral ischemia is needed to develop strategies for the treatment of stroke. This review summarizes recent advances concerning the pathophysiological alterations caused by cerebral ischemia, focusing on the modification of properties of glutamate receptors, which modification may be linked to the development of cerebral infarction. Furthermore, the effects of hepatocyte growth factor on learning dysfunction and cerebral vessel injury after cerebral ischemia are also summarized. Finally, this review describes a possible ameliorative effect of the injection of exogenous neural progenitor cells on cerebral ischemia-induced learning and memory dysfunction.