To achieve neuroprotection is one of the main interests for neuroscientist: understanding the control mechanisms of neuronal death allows developing new tools for preventing it. Neuronal death plays a critical role in most of the important neural pathologies, including stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. This review summarizes the three main different types of neuronal death: apoptosis, necrosis and autophagic cell death, although we are conscious that if cell death falls into several categories, the boundaries are not always distinct. We then introduce the current understanding of the relationship between neuronal death types and neuroprotection.