Additionally, neutrophils could also induce arterial thrombosis and subsequent brain ischemia by increasing the instability of atherosclerotic plaques via production of matrix metallopeptidase 9, or forming neutrophil extracellular traps (basically composed of DNA from neutrophils) that may lead to thrombus formation through recruitment of red blood cells and facilitation of fibrin deposition (Ionita et al., 2010; Sørensen and Borregaard, 2016). This evidence concerns the gene MMP9 and brain ischemia.