CX3CR1 and ischemia: Also, CX3CR1 deficiency has been shown to be neuroprotective in the early phase after ischemia by promoting microglial polarization to an M2-like phenotype and to decrease microglial activation and neurotoxicity by decreasing the expression of M1-like microglial phenotype that is associated with proinflammatory molecules; all of which lead to smaller infarct volumes (Fumagalli et al., 2013; Tang et al., 2014).