These results suggested that exogenous GAL protects the brain from ischemic injury by inhibiting Capsase-8/12-initiated apoptosis, possibly mediated by GalR1 via the cPKCa signaling pathway.;Our results indicate the potential therapeutic value of agonists selective for GAL1R in the prevention of neuronal cell death.;Our findings establish the role of galanin as a modulator of neural stem cell function and support the importance of galanin for brain plasticity and repair.