KDR and brain ischemia: In a model of cerebral ischemia, VEGF bound to VEGFR-2, which is expressed predominantly on activated astrocytes in the central nervous system, and encouraged revascularization and repair of the BBB by giving metabolic and trophic assistance to injured tissue (Krum et al., 2008; Shimotake et al., 2010; Hao et al., 2011).