In a bilateral carotid ischemia model, acupuncture can upregulate the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in neurons and downstream target genes [NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and heme oxygenase 1(HO1)] by reducing the activation of Nrf2-dependent microglia, which exerts a neuroprotective effect and improves bilateral carotid ischemia-induced cognitive impairment (Wang et al., 2015). Here, NQO1 is linked to Cognitive impairment.