Genetics of stroke.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of severe long-term disability in developed countries. Despite significant progress in understanding the risk factors conferring disease predisposition, the genetic and molecular basis of stroke remains poorly understood. Recent advances in the identification and characterization of patterns of DNA sequence variation in human populations hold the promise that stroke genomics will offer significant insights into disease pathophysiology and open new avenues for the development of novel therapeutic modalities. However, beyond single nucleotide polymorphisms, the emergence of additional sources of genomic variability as major factors in disease etiology is likely to transform our DNA-centric approaches toward more integrative and comprehensive strategies. This review provides an overview of the current progress and future prospects of the application of genomic sciences to stroke research.