Final answer:
Cellular death in the brain can occur within minutes if blood flow is interrupted. Permanent damage can occur within a few hours, leading to conditions such as a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke.
Step-by-step explanation:
If blood flow to the brain is interrupted, cellular death can occur quite rapidly. Neurons are extremely sensitive to oxygen deprivation and will begin to deteriorate within just 1 or 2 minutes of losing blood supply. However, permanent damage (cell death) is likely to result within a few hours, making the correct answer B) Within minutes. When blood flow is compromised, even temporarily, it may lead to a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a full stroke - also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). An ischemic stroke is a severe event where brain cells die due to blocked blood flow. The need for constant blood flow is addressed by the brain’s arterial system, which includes the internal carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries, as they are primary suppliers to the brain, a highly oxygen-dependent organ requiring about 20 percent of the body's blood supply at any given time. The brain can experience significant damage likely within five minutes without oxygen.
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