CFL1 and ischemic stroke: Furthermore, a study demonstrated that introducing RFP-LIMK1 into the cortical penumbra using lentivirus 7 days prior to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) rat model significantly mitigated cofilin rods, MAP2 degradation, and ischemia-mediated apoptosis compared to the rats injected with RFP control 24 h after tMCAO, suggesting the participation of cofilin in the initiation of neuronal cell death after ischemia and potential therapeutic intervention in ischemic stroke [7].