VEGFA and Stroke: Recent breakthroughs identify angiogenesis as a “master regulator” of post-stroke recovery through dual mechanisms: a)Re-establishing cerebral perfusion via neovascularization (Griffioen and Dudley, 2022); b) Supporting neurogenesis through VEGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) cross-talk (Xu et al., 2021).