Mechanisms of Secondary Brain Damage in Cerebral Ischemia and Trauma

This is a progress report of the understanding of secondary brain damage from head injury and cerebral ischaemia. The spectrum reaches from the molecular- and cell-biological level up to the complex issues of clinical management.

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This is a progress report of the understanding of secondary brain damage from head injury and cerebral ischaemia. The spectrum reaches from the molecular- and cell-biological level up to the complex issues of clinical management. Specific topics on cerebral ischaemia are concerned with apoptosis, inflammation, acidosis, cellular Ca2+-overflow, the role of the stimulatory input for maintenance of functional competence in a stroke, effects of brain grafting in infarction, and the current state of glutamate antagonization or re-establishment of cerebral blood flow by thrombolysis, among others. New data on head injury relate with the cell-biological response of the damaged axon, the activation of microglia, the role of b-amyloid precursor protein in the later development of Alzheimer's disease, and the current understanding of neuronal regeneration. Aspects of management and treatment form a spectrum from novel antioxidants to international consensus efforts.