found that Iba-1 positive cells in the cerebral ischemic penumbra of MCAO model rats increased significantly, and were amoeba-shaped or round; the neurological deficit score, the percentage of cerebral infarction and the relative expression of Notch-1, TNF-α and ICAM-1 proteins in the ischemic penumbra were significantly increased (234). This evidence concerns the gene TNF and cerebral infarction.