Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of low frequency stimulation (LFS) on proliferation and angiogenesis of neural stem
cells (NSC) in cerebral infarction side in rats. Methods: The rats with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) were randomly
divided into sham-operation group, control group and LFS group, each group was divided into 7 days and 14 days subgroups with 12 rats in
each subgroup. LFS therapy was started 2 days after operation. The degree of nerve function defect was evaluated with Neurological Severity Score (NSS), and the 5-bromodeoxy-dine (BrdU) positive cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of cerebral infarction side were detected
with immunofluorescence. Stromal cell-derived factor 1(SDF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in infarction side were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The NSS score was lower in the LFS group than in the control group and
the sham-operation group 14 days after surgery (P<0.01). The number of BrdU positive cells, the content of SDF-1 and VEGF in the ischemic side were more in the LFS group than in the other groups (P<0.01) after treatment. Conclusion: LFS can improve the neurological function in rats with acute cerebral infarction, which may associate with activating SDF-1/CXCR4 axis.