NF-kB is a well-characterized transcription factor with multiple physiological andpathological functions.NF-kB plays important roles in the development andmaturation of lymphoids,regulation of immune and inflammatory response,andcell death and survival.The influence of NF-kB on cell survival could be protec-tive or destructive,depending on types,developmental stages of cells,and patho-logical conditions.The complexity of NF-kB in cell death and survival derivesfrom its multiple roles in regulating the expression of a broad array of genesinvolved in promoting cell death and survival.The activation of NF-kB has beenfound in many neurological disorders,but its actual roles in pathogenesis are stillbeing debated.Many compounds with neuroprotective actions are strongly as-sociated with the inhibition of NF-kB,leading to speculation that blocking thepathological activation of NF-kB could offer neuroprotective effects in certainneurodegenerative conditions.This paper reviews the recent developments inunderstanding the dual roles of NF-kB in cell death and survival and explores itspossible usefulness in treating neurological diseases.This paper will summarizethe genes regulated by NF-kB that are involved in cell death and survival toelucidate why NF-kB promotes cell survival in some conditions while facilitatingcell death in other conditions.This paper will also focus on the effects of variousNF-kB inhibitors on neuroprotection in certain pathological conditions to specu-late if NF-kB is a potential target for neuroprotective therapy. NF-kB is a well-characterized transcription factor with multiple physiological andpathological functions. NF-kB plays important roles in the development andmaturation of lymphoids, regulation of immune and inflammatory responses, and cell death and survival. The influence of NF-kB on cell survival could be protec-tive or destructive, depending on types, developmental stages of cells, and patho-logical conditions. The complexity of NF-kB in cell death and survival derives from its multiple roles in regulating the expression of a broad array of genes in viral in promoting cell death and survival. The activation of NF-kB has been found in many neurological disorders, but its actual roles in pathogenesis are still debing. Many compounds with neuroprotective actions are as as sociated with the inhibition of NF-kB, leading to speculation that blocking the pathological activation of NF-kB could offer neuroprotective effects in certain neurodegenerative conditions. This paper reviews the recent develo pments inunderstanding the dual roles of NF-kB in cell death and survival and explores itspossible usefulness in treating neurological diseases. This paper will summarizethe genes regulated by NF-kB that are involved in cell death and survival toelucidate why NF-kB promotes cell survival in some conditions while facilitatingcell death in other conditions. This paper will also focus on the effects of various NF-kB inhibitors on neuroprotection in certain pathological conditions to specu-late if NF-kB is a potential target for neuroprotective therapy.