Patients with acute brain injuries or susceptibility to post-surgery stroke are a major therapeutic challenge for intensive care and anaesthesiology medicine. The control of systemic stress involved in brain damage is necessary to reduce the frequency and severity of secondary brain lesions. Inflammation is known to be directly involved in acute brain lesions. The brain is a major participant in inflammation control through activation or inhibition effects. The exact mechanisms involved in deleterious effects following acute brain injuries due to inflammation are still unknown. This non-exhaustive study will expose the principal processes involved in inflammatory brain disease and explain the consequences of peripheral inflammation for the brain. Neuroprotection strategies in acute neuroinflammation will be reported with a focus on anaesthetic agents and the inflammation cascade.