MIF and stroke disorder: For example, previous findings on the effects of MIF on neuronal function in different stroke models are conflicting, with some studies reporting that the cytokine is up-regulated and aggravates neurologic deficits by promoting cell death (42, 43) and/or increasing blood-brain-barrier permeability (33), while others found that it is down-regulated and may have neuroprotective functions (44, 45).