Dongjoon Kim

Keywords: BDNF dexmedetomidine Nrf2 MCAO Introduction Stroke is a major cause of acute brain injury and progressive neurodegeneration (1). Ischemic stroke occurs due to the blockade of cerebral blood flow, leading to the death of brain cells, such as neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes (2, 3). The mechanisms of damage in ischemic stroke are complex; they involve glutamate excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation (4).

Key Words: BDNF dexmedetomidine BCCAO neuronal loss The bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) model has been used to study chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (1, 2). Cerebral hypoperfusion causes neuronal loss as well as learning and memory impairment (3, 4). Neurogenesis is an important process for recovery from neurological damage caused by ischemic lesions (5, 6).