Time Is Brain—Quantified

Background and Purpose— The phrase “time is brain” emphasizes that human nervous tissue is rapidly lost as stroke progresses and emergent evaluation and therapy are required. Recent advances in quantitative neurostereology and stroke neuroimaging permit calculation of just how much brain is lost per unit time in acute ischemic stroke. Methods— Systematic literature-review identified consensus estimates of number of neurons, synapses, and myelinated fibers in the human forebrain; volume of large vessel, supratentorial ischemic stroke; and interval from onset to completion of large vessel, supratentorial ischemic stroke. Results— The typical final volume of large vessel, supratentorial ischemic stroke is 54 mL…

• NI
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke