NRG-1 has been shown to associate with the NFkB-inducing kinase (NIK) that activates the alternative/non-canonical NFkB pathway to produce anti-inflammatory factors (Chen et al., 2003), Figure 1 summarizes mechanisms used by NRG-1 to protect neurons and prevent pro-inflammatory responses in ischemia and other conditions. Here, NRG1 is linked to ischemia.