CYCS and brain ischemia: The mechanisms underlying this protective effect may include reducing the release of excitatory amino acids, inhibiting calcium influx, regulating calmodulin kinase II and protein kinase C activity, inhibiting the inflammatory response following cerebral ischemia, suppressing edema formation, reducing the oxygen metabolic rate, diminishing the production of free radicals, and inhibiting necrosis and neuronal apoptosis induced by mitochondrial release of cytochrome c (29–31).