A regular stroke is also called an ischemic stroke since it is caused by an interruption of the blood flow to the brain. Ischemic simply means loss of blood supply. When something blocks blood supply to your brain, you have an ischemic stroke. The part of the brain that does not get any blood starts to die off. The walls of the blood vessels inside that part of the brain also get damaged and become leaky. When blood flows again in these parts, it may leak out and cause small bleeding. The damaged blood vessel wall may also burst open and lead to massive bleeding.