GAP43 and Cerebral ischemia: Moreover, electroacupuncture in ischemic stroke rats can increase the expression of thioredoxin and reduce the oxidative modification of the thiol groups of the surrounding proteins, thus reducing the brain damage after cerebral ischemia (Siu et al., 2005); it can also promote the expression of synaptophysin (SYN) and growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion model, which suggests that electroacupuncture can promote the regeneration of axon and positively improve the synaptic plasticity.