NEUROPROTECTION AND STROKE

The current goal of acute stroke therapy is to restore cerebral perfusion and to protect cerebral tissue before the development of an irreversible damage. This latter is due to the duration and the severity of cerebral ischemia [1]. Recanalization operated by thrombolysis represents the most intuitive and effective treatment of acute cerebral ischemia. Unfortunately, because of the strictly clinical criteria that make thrombolysis feasible, this approach is limited only to few patients, and it is estimated that only about 5% of all acute cerebrovascular patients are suitable for rtPA treatment [2]. The need for new therapeutic strategies appropriate for the majority of acute stroke patients is therefore evident, in order to save as much ischemic brain tissue as possible.