APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. disruption of blood flow to the brain, which deprives the tissue of oxygen and nutrients, causing tissue damage and loss of normal function and, potentially, tissue death. A stroke may result from a hemorrhage of a blood vessel in the brain (see hemorrhagic stroke) or an embolism or thrombus blocking an artery in the brain (see embolic stroke; thrombotic stroke). This term is often used interchangeably with cerebrovascular accident. See also cerebral infarction; cerebrovascular disease; lacunar stroke; transient ischemic attack.