Brain damage due to a stroke, MRI scans

Brain damage due to a stroke. Axial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan (upper left), an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) MRI scan (upper right), and a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) scan (bottom), showing damage (bright and blue areas) and blocked arteries in the right hemisphere of a 63-year-old man's brain, caused by a stroke (cerebrovascular accident, CVA). The stroke caused hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body, here the left side). A stroke is where the brain is damaged due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen). This is usually due to an interruption or other damage to the blood supply, such as a burst blood vessel or a clot blocking the blood flow to the brain. These images were obtained 5.5 hours after the stroke, which was caused by a thrombosis (abnormal blood clot) blocking the internal right carotid artery., Photo by ZEPHYR/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY