However, whether EA inhibits autophagy through regulating other signing pathways and whether EA stimulation at other acupoints can also modulate autophagy through the same pathway remain to be investigated, and whether other independent risk factors for ischemic stroke such as ALDH2, which has a close association with stroke [85], would be possibly involved in the efficacy of EA pretreatment also need to be further studied. Here, ALDH2 is linked to ischemic stroke.