Recently it was shown that the knockout of the phagocytic receptor MerTK, specifically in microglia and macrophages, reduced synaptic loss, brain atrophy and neurological deficits in mouse models of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, whereas the knockout of the phagocytic receptor MEGF10, specifically in astrocytes, reduced synaptic loss and brain atrophy only in the ischemic model of stroke [65]. Here, MERTK is linked to Brain atrophy.