High incidence and mortality rate of ischemic strokes make them one of the leading causes of death in industrialized countries.Ischemic brain injury results from a cascade of pathogenetic events that include energy failure and excitoxicity,peri-infarct depolarizations,inflammation and apoptosis. Recent years are period of increasing interest in apoptosis – genetically determined programmed cell death,which plays an important role in delayed mechanisms of neuronal damage.Understanding of apoptosis and its control processes in ischemic strokes is the key to successfull therapy.

        Key words: apoptosis,ischaemia,penumbra,excitoxicity,peri-infarct depolarizations,ischaemic strokes