Cerebral thrombosis is the official name for the most common type of stroke. This condition occurs when a clot of blood forms locally in one of the arteries of the body that supplies the brain. The clot actually blocks the artery and keeps it from functioning. This creates a similar, yet differentiated condition from cerebral embolism, which is another form of stroke. Like a cerebral embolism, however, the effect is the cutting off of nutrition and blood flow from one part of the brain.
The formation of a blood clot in a cerebral vessel ordinarily takes place only if there has been damage to one or more of the arteries. This is usually caused by a condition called atherosclerosis. the vessel may be degenerated, hardened or otherwise damaged. This is one of the reasons that cerebral thrombosis occurs in elderly people and individuals who have problems with known high blood pressure and a hardening of the arteries.

Cerebral thrombosis often occurs at night or in the early morning hours when the blood pressure is low. This condition is also often preceded by one or more "mini-strokes" heralding the condition.

Symptoms will depend on how large the vessel and the clot are. If one of the main arteries supplying the brain is blocked, then the individual affected may lose consciousness and be paralyzed on one side of the body. This would also result in loss of speech if the left cerebral hemisphere is affected. Symptoms may resemble those of cerebral embolism, but the onset will be less sudden and may include warning signs and a period of time lasting up to a few hours where the individual will feel faint, dizzy, and potentially have a headache. However, this condition also tends to occur when a person is resting or sleeping as mentioned earlier.

If the thrombosis is a very small one, in one of the smaller arteries, symptoms may be relatively mild and may be barely noticed by the individual. The prognosis for recovery from small cerebral thrombosis is very good and full functioning may be restored within a matter of days or weeks.

In more severe cases, when a large part of the brain hemisphere is affected, an individual may take much longer to recover or may remain paralyzed or affected by some degree of mental impairment. For those individuals who have problems with atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, or high blood pressure - and/or those who have had mini or warning "strokes," it will likely be necessary to work with a doctor to help to prevent the possibility of cerebral thrombosis. This may involve surgery or medications or a combination of both types of treatment.