To determine if tau contributes to brain damage following stroke, we subjected wild-type (tau+/+) and tau−/− mice (Fig. 1a) to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with reperfusion of ischemic brain areas, an experimental paradigm replicating clinical presentations of patients with successful recanalization or thrombolysis26, 27. This evidence concerns the gene MAPT and Stroke.