Cyclin-dependent kinases as potential targets to improve stroke outcome.

Increasing evidence suggests that cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), enzymes that normally regulate cell cycle progression, may also participate in the death of neurons. This has led to the proposal that CDKs may serve as a therapeutic target for neuropathological conditions such as stroke. This brief review will serve to examine the evidence supporting the role of CDKs in neuronal death, and will evaluate the potential of CDK inhibitors as a neuroprotective strategy for ischemic injury.