Thus, the exercise-related increase in the population of GFAP-positive astrocytes born between POD0 and 3 on POD15 was neither due to a corresponding increase in the number of post-mitotic GFAP-positive astrocytes nor due to changes in cell death of GFAP-positive astrocytes, as few GFAP-positive cells died after cerebral ischemia, and no differences in the number of TUNEL and GFAP double-positive cells between the MCAO + non-exercise and MCAO + exercise groups were observed (Fig. 3E). This evidence concerns the gene GFAP and brain ischemia.