GFAP and Cerebral ischemia: Previous studies have reported that astrocytic activation contributes to increased infarct size through neuron-glial interactions during the subacute phase of cerebral ischemia, and that GFAP, a marker of reactive astrocytes, is predominantly expressed in the periinfarct border zone from 1 to 7 days after the onset of cerebral ischemia [30, 31].