Strokes

Strokes are a major and very prevalent problem in medicine today and many mental disorders occur from the effects of strokes. A stroke refers to a problem with the oxygen flow to the brain. Oxygen is brought to the brain by blood flow through arteries that become smaller as they get farther from the heart. There are two types of strokes, ischemic and hemorragic.

An ischemic stroke is one that directly halts the flow of oxygen to the brain due to a clot in an artery that stops the flow of blood. Eighty three percent of strokes are ischemic. Neurons (brain cells) die when a stroke occurs because their oxygen source has become dissipated. Brain cells cannot regenerate after death causing stroke victims to lose certain brain functions after enduring a stroke. Causes of an ischemic stroke can be due to blood clotting in an artery, lack of sufficient blood supply, and an embolus somewhere in the blood supply. The following is what a ischemic stroke looks like.
The second type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. This is caused by an aneurysm in the wall of the blood vessel which causes blood to come in contact with neurons. Blood is extremely toxic to neurons therefore causing them to die within seconds of contact. The following is a visual representation of a hemorrhagic stroke along with a ischemic stroke.