Up-regulation of CD44 expression in microglia/macrophages were observed after transient or permanent forebrain ischemia in rats (Wang et al., 2001; Kang et al., 2008), in experimental cryolesions, a model for rat brain injury (Shin et al., 2005) and in mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Matsumoto et al., 2012). This evidence concerns the gene CD44 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.