Blocking CD8+ T-cell expansion and activation through the administration of IL-2 or IL-15 neutralizing antibody, or depletion of CD8+ T cells with anti-CD8α antibody could significantly reduce brain infarct volume and attenuate the associated behavioral deficits in two ischemia models that rely on the production of perforin (Mracsko et al., 2014; Lee et al., 2018; Zhou et al., 2019). Here, CD8A is linked to ischemia.