Finally, in a separate experiment, the stability of mRNA expression was demonstrated in sham mice that were euthanized at the same timepoints as the stroke mice for several prominent purinergic P2 receptors (P2X4, P2X7, and P2Y6), reinforcing the reliability of using sham animals euthanized at any of the timepoints as controls for assessing changes in mRNA expression following cerebral I/R. Here, P2RX7 is linked to Stroke.