A Comprehensive Review of the Pathophysiology of Neonatal Stroke and a Critique of Current and Future Therapeutic Strategies

Abstract

Within the first 28 days after birth, more than 1 in every 2500 newborns will suffer a stroke. The weekly-adjusted risk of stroke for a term-born infant is threefold higher than for a male smoker aged 50 to 59 years with hypertension and diabetes. Neonatal stroke has significant clinical and socio-economic consequences, leading to cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and a range of motor, sensory, and cognitive impairments. Currently, there is no treatment for the brain damage caused by neonatal stroke. In this review, we outline the differences in the complex interplay of inflammation, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and cell death after stroke between adults and neonates, which limits the direct tr..