Lycium barbarum polysaccharides reduced CA1 neurons from death after transient global ischemia and ameliorated memory deficit in ischemic rats, activated the NR2A-mediated survival pathway and inhibited the NR2B-mediated apoptotic pathway in primary cultured cortical neurons, which suggests that Lycium barbarum Polysaccharides may be a superior therapeutic candidate for the treatment of ischemic stroke. This evidence concerns the gene GRIN2A and ischemic stroke.