Neuroprotective effect of hypoxic preconditioning and neuronal activation in a in vitro human model of the ischemic penumbra.

Objective: In ischemic stroke, treatments to protect neurons from irreversible damage are urgently needed. Studies in animal models have shown that neuroprotective treatments targeting neuronal silencing improve brain recovery, but in clinical trials none of these were effective in patients. This failure of translation poses doubts on the real efficacy of treatments tested and on the validity of animal models for human stroke.