Stroke is a global health problem affecting approximately 15 million people annually in the world and about 700,000 in the United States. It is the third leading cause of death and the most common cause of disability in most developed countries. This book is intended to provide the most up-to-date knowledge of the mechanisms of neuronal death and repair after stroke. It is our belief that this volume of the Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology provides an excellent review of the tremendous advances of the past decades in the neurochemical and molecular biological aspects of cerebral ischemia. It is hoped that these advances will provide an impetus for basic scientists and clinicians to further their translational research and to promote the insights for development of therapeutic interventions for stroke.