Interestingly, we observed that the anti-proliferative effect of TMZ + RSV on glioma was partly mediated by Cdk5 inhibition induced autophagy in conjunction with Caspase-3 mediated apoptosis, as evidenced by an increased expression of autophagy and apoptosis markers and increased survival upon pretreatment with 3-methyladenine (3-MA, early stage autophagy inhibitor) and Z-DEVD FMK, a Caspase-3 inhibitor. This evidence concerns the gene CASP3 and central nervous system cancer.