Caspases in ischaemic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease.

The importance of caspases in developmental neuronal death is well-established. Recent data provide compelling evidence of caspase activation after ischaemic brain injury. Caspase inhibitors reduce cell death in several models of ischaemic injury. This review summarizes our current understanding of caspase function in ischaemic brain injury and examines the accumulating evidence of caspase participation in several neurodegenerative diseases. The therapeutic consequences of caspase inhibitor treatment in reducing cell death after such injury are also discussed.