Novel treatment strategies to protect cerebral white matter in vascular and metabolic disorders

Abstract

Ischemic injury to white matter (WM) in the central nervous system is a major cause of functional disability and especially since the majority of strokes both involve grey and white matter equally. WM receives disproportionately less blood supply than grey matter and for this reason, WM is highly vulnerable to ischemia. This is evident by the frequency of lacunar infarcts in adults, which can accumulate, sometimes silently, and produce vascular dementia and cerebral palsy to the underdeveloped brain in children.