Butylphthalide, which belongs to a family of compounds initially isolated from the seeds of Apium graveolens, administered intragastrically three times a day at a dosage of 15 mg/kg beginning at 20 min after brain ischemia/reperfusion in Sprague-Dawley rats, protects neurons against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion-induced damage remarkably improving the survival of CA1 pyramidal neurons in brain injury and inhibits the JNK/caspase-3 signaling pathway. The gene discussed is CASP3; the disease is brain ischemia.