Apoptosis: a target for neuroprotection

Sounds like another research possibilty to stop cell death.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15359610

Abstract
Accumulating evidence strongly suggests that apoptosis contributes to neuronal death in a variety of neurodegenerative contexts. Activation of the cysteine protease caspase 3 appears to be a key event in the execution of apoptosis in the central nervous system. As a result, mice null for caspase 3 display considerable neuronal expansion, usually resulting in death by the second week of life. Consistent with the proposal that apoptosis plays a central role in human neurodegenerative disease, caspase-3 activation has recently been observed in stroke, spinal cord trauma, head injury and Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, peptide-based caspase inhibitors prevent neuronal loss in animal models of head injury and stroke, suggesting that these compounds may be the forerunners of non-peptide small molecules that halt the apoptotic process implicated in these neurodegenerative disorders. The present review will summarise some of the recent data suggesting that apoptosis inhibitors may become a practical therapeutic approach for both acute and chronic neurodegenerative conditions.

Therapie. 2004 Mar-Apr;59(2):185-90.

So in 7 years I wonder what has been found out. Everytime I find something new it just brings up even more questions. Don't the current stroke researchers have this same sense of wonder of what is going on? And if they do what are they doing about it?