Ischemic stroke is a major cause of permanent disability and death in adults

and electroacupuncture(EA)intervention has a positive role in improving neurological function in patients with ischemic stroke through a series of complex processes. In the present paper

we make a review about the development of researches on the involvement of micro-ribonucleic acid(miRNA)in ischemic stroke from excitatory amino acid toxicity

oxidative stress

inflammatory response

apoptosis and necrosis

and particularly sum up outcomes of researches about the roles of miRNAs in EA-induced improvement of neurological function in experimental cerebral ischemia animals. EA treatment can 1) balance levels of miRNAs(such as mir-126 and mir-328

etc.)to promote angiogenesis of ischemic cerebral cortex tissue by regulating expression of vascular endothelial growth factor family genes and proteins;2)promote nerve regeneration by upregulating serum miR-124 and hippocampal miR-132 expression to possibly facilitate cerebral repair and reduce cognitive dysfunction respectively via related proteins;3)reduce cerebral edema via modulating expression of some miRNAs to control expression of aquaporin

matrix metalloproteinases

etc. and 4)suppress inflammatory response via up-regulating expression of miRNAs to inhibit expression of NF-κB

TNF-α

etc. in the local cerebral tissue. As a result

the neurological function is bettered after EA intervention.