Super-early thrombolysis and neuroprotection during acute stages have achieved great progress in the treatment of brain ischemia. However, neurological functional recovery in most patients remains unsatisfactory. It is essential to effectively promote neuronal repair, survival, and regeneration following ischemic injury. Neuronal injury and death, as well as glial cell proliferation, are major causes for neurological function injury following brain ischemia. Therefore, a growing number of studies have focused the attenuation of neuronal injury, the promotion of neural stem cell differentiation into neuronal-like cells, and the stimulatory effects of astrocytes in brain injury recovery.  
In this issue of NRR, three papers studied the effects of electroacu-puncture on astrocyte activation, neurotrophic factor expression, and neural stem cell proliferation to determine possible mechanisms by which electroacupuncture ameliorates brain ischemia.

? Electroacupuncture effect on synaptic ultrastructure in focal cerebral ischemia marginal zone of the rat
Neural Regen Res. 2010;5(8):618-622.
       
? Electroacupuncture-attenuated ischemic brain injury increases insulin-like growth factor-1 expression in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia
Neural Regen Res. 2010;5(18):1408-1412.

? Influence of Ren and Du meridian electro-acupuncture on neural stem cell proliferation and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia injury
Neural Regen Res. 2010;5(6):433-438.