Cerebral hypoxic-ischaemic injury is involved in many central nervous system diseases. The mechanisms of neuron injury and death in cerebral hypoxic ischaemia remain unclear. There have been many theories on pathogenesis of neuron injury and death in cerebral hypoxic ischaemia, such as the toxicity of excitatory amino acid, NO, the production of oxygen free radicals, chondriosome injury, complement component, injury of immunological inflammation, matrix metalloproteinase, dopamine, Ca2+ overloading, cell apoptosis and so on. The aim of this review is to describe recent observations regarding the mechanisms of neuron injury and death in cerebral hypoxic ischaemia.