cell death, which occurs due to programmed intracellular processes. A natural process that manifests itself in various ways in the development of the brain and other organs of the body. Programmed cell death is controlled by a wide variety of signals both outside and inside the cell; Among these substances are toxins, hormones, and growth factors that cause or suppress the dying process. Programmed cell death also occurs after a viral infection or brain injury, as well as in neurodegenerative diseases. The “engine” of the cell death machine is a family of killer proteins called caspases, the inactive form of which is present in any cell. When cell death is activated, caspases take on an active form and act as molecular scissors, moving around the cell and destroying other proteins necessary for the normal life of the cell. As a result, a series of specific structural changes occur: the cell membrane swells, the cell’s DNA fragments, the nucleus disintegrates, and, finally, the entire cell falls apart into parts, the so-called apoptotic bodies.