Background and Purpose-Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been shown to protect against stroke in hypertensive rats and to improve neurological outcome after cerebral ischemia in normotensive rats. The present study was designated to test the hypothesis that blockade of brain AT 1 receptors improves the recovery from focal cerebral ischemia and reduces expression of AP-1 transcription factors c-Fos and c-Jun, which have been associated with programmed cell death and neurodegeneration. Methods-Experiments were carried out in normotensive male Wistar rats. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion lasting for 90 minutes and followed by reperfusion. The selective AT 1 receptor antagonist irbesartan was infused intracerebroventricularly over a 5-day period before the induction of ischemia at a dose that inhibited brain but not vascular AT 1 receptors. Twenty-four hours after ischemia, neurological outcome was evaluated and expression of c-Fos and c-Jun proteins in the brain was studied immunocytochemically. Results-Focal

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