ABSTRACT
The last five years has seen a significant change in our understanding of the brain’s response to injury and ischaemia, and of the events underlying neurodegeneration. One of the most prominent aspects of this revolution is the recognition that the brain can exhibit inflammatory responses and express molecules classically associated with systemic inflammation and immune activation. Of these inflammatory responses, the expression of cytokines has been of particular interest to scientists and clinicians investigating the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration caused by brain injury and cerebral ischaemia and also potential novel treatments.
