Stroke Therapy: Basic, Preclinical, and Clinical Directions

Basic scientists and clinicians alike will find Stroke Therapy fascinating and informative reading. Featuring contributions from leading North American and European researchers, it is the only book covering ongoing developments in the entire breadth of the contemporary stroke therapeutic landscape-from bench to bedside. Stroke Therapy begins with an overview of the basic mechanisms and relevant animal models for studying the neuropathology of stroke, both within brain parenchyma and at the cerebrovascular level. This material is followed by an in-depth look at the ischemic cascade in light of current drug development efforts aimed at intervening at specific steps along the cascade. The final section of the book is devoted to past, present, and future directions in the development of drug therapies for stroke. Chapters explore promising drug therapies now in clinical trials, as well as key design considerations involved in developing reliable tests for the clinical effectiveness of compounds proven effective in preclinical testing. The only book covering developments in all basic and clinical aspects of pharmacological therapies for ischemic brain injury, Stroke Therapy examines important recent findings on: * The ischemic cascade and the neuropathological consequences of stroke * The latest findings on the role of cell surface receptors and channels, nitric oxide and free radicals, and various intracellular processes in stroke, including DNA damage and repair * Reparative approaches, including growth factors * Clinical aspects from trial design and in incidents of perioperative CNS dysfunction, to thrombolytic and current mechanism-based drug therapies. Stroke Therapy is a valuable working resource for scientists in academe and industry, clinical investigators, and technical managers of pharmaceutical companies involved in stroke-related research.