The cells die. Within minutes of a stroke, the zone of initial cell death is surrounded by additional damaged and dying brain cells. This process can continue for hours. Ischemia means the deficiency of oxygen in vital tissues. Thrombi are blood clots that form within one of the brain's arteries.
Emboli are clots that form elsewhere but are carried by the blood to eventually lodge in the artery.
Thrombotic or Large-Artery Stroke and Atherosclerosis. A thrombotic stroke usually occurs when an artery to the brain is blocked by a blood clot that forms as the result of atherosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries. These strokes are also sometimes referred to as large-artery strokes. These now abnormal arteries become vulnerable to injury. This initiates a process called the inflammatory response , which may play a significant role in the stroke.