Treatment neuroprotective strategies

Comprehensive and up-to-date, Hypothermia and Cerebral Ischemia Mechanisms and Clinical Applications summarizes for clinicians and basic scientists alike all that is known about the use of hypothermia as a neuroprotective strategy in the treatment of today s stroke and TBI patients. 

The main role of mild hypothermia against stroke may, perhaps, be to extend the therapeutic window of other treatment modalities. On the other hand, hypothermia is by far the most potent neuroprotectant available against experimental cerebral ischemia, and new technological advances are now facilitating its implementation in the clinical setting. Understanding the mechanisms by which mild hypothermia exerts its neuroprotective effects will allow us to optimize its use as a therapeutic strategy. 

The recent Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) found a reduction in the risk of progression of some types of age-related macular degeneration for those randomized to receive high doses of vitamins C (500 mg), E (4(X) lU), P-carotene (15 mg), cupric oxide (2 mg), and zinc (80 mg). Interestingly, zinc has been found to be neuroprotective in a rat model of glaucoma. The mechanism appears to be mediated by heat shock proteins and may represent a novel treatment strategy for glaucoma. 

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