Acupuncture has recently gained popularity in many countries as an altative and complementary therapeutic intervention.Previous studies have shown that changes in genes,proteins,and their metabolites were measureable during acupuncture for treatment of cerebral ischemia.Through the use of in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry,the present study confirmed that electroacupuncture increased insulin-like growth factor-1 mRNA and protein expression in the corpus striatum following cerebral ischemia,reduced brain edema following middle cerebral artery occlusion repeffusion,and decreased infarct volume.Results suggested that electroacupuncture is effective in the relief of cerebral ischemia by increasing endogenous insulin-like growth factor-1 expression.