ABOUT STROKES: A stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease that affects the arteries leading to and from the brain. When one of these arteries becomes blocked or bursts, blood and oxygen can't get to that part of the brain and it begins to die. Strokes can cause paralysis, affect language and vision, and lead to memory loss. Strokes kill nearly 163,000 people every year; they are the third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer.
The Biophysical Society contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.