The importance of DRP1 in mitochondrial structure and cell function is further confirmed by the findings that overexpressing DRP1 protein in embryonic hippocampal neurons alters mitochondrial structures and impairs dendritic branch formation (Dickey and Strack, 2011), and that inhibiting DRP1 protein restores mitochondrial density, increases ATP generations (Huang et al., 2015), prevents mitochondrial membrane potential loss (Frank et al., 2001), and protects neurons from ischemic stroke (Flippo et al., 2018). This evidence concerns the gene DNM1L and ischemic stroke.