Figure 1.

Types and effects of IS. According to the TOAST etiology classification, the etiology of IS is classified as LAA, CE, SVO, and other determined etiology or undetermined etiology. As the disease progresses, there is a reversible loss of tissue function followed by irreversible neurological deficits due to insufficient blood supply to the brain tissue, which is manifested by the ischemic core of irreversibly damaged tissue surrounded by the ischemic penumbra of hypoperfused but potentially salvageable tissue. The pathophysiological processes following IS are complex, involving energy failure, acidosis, loss of cell homeostasis, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, activation of glial cells, inflammation, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier with infiltration of leukocytes.