Molecular Mechanisms of Acute Brain Injury and Ensuing Neurodegeneration

Abstract

Injury to the central nervous system (CNS), including stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, cause devastating and irreversible damage and loss of function. For example, stroke affects very large patient populations, results in major suffering for the patients and their relatives, and involves a significant cost to society. CNS damage implies disruption of the intricate internal circuits involved in cognition, the sensory-motor functions, and other important functions. There are currently no treatments available to properly restore such lost functions. New therapeutic proposals will emerge from an understanding of the interdependence of molecular and cellular responses to CNS injury, in particular the inhibitory mechanisms that block regeneration and those that enhance neuronal plasticity...