In particular we demonstrated the existence of chemokine induced chemokine release (CX3CL1-CXCL16-CCL2) mechanism that involves neurons, microglia and astrocytes and that represents an endogenous self-protective mechanism that upon brain ischemia can limit cell damage in the ischemic penumbra, by counteracting neuronal cell death due to Glu excitotoxicity (Figure 7). The gene discussed is CXCL16; the disease is brain ischemia.