Objective To explore the relation between neurologic function recovery and neurogenesis in subventricular zone (SVZ) and perinfarct area after bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) transplantation in stroke rats.Methods BMSCs were harvested from rats by density gradient centfifugation and adherent culture methods,and identified by flow cytometry.Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat models were established by electric coagulation method.They were randomly devided into control group and transplantation group (n=12).The rats in the transplantation group were injected by tail vein with BMSCs (5×106 cells/μL) labeled with Hoechst 33342.Rats in the control group were injected with 1 mL of serum free DMEM/F12.The functional recovery of rats in two groups was evaluated by using beam walking test before transplanation and 1 week and 2 weeks after BMSCs transplanation.The survival and distributions of transplated BMSCs in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and in peri-infarct area were observed by fluorescence microscope.Ki67 expression in SVZ and peri-infarct area was determined by immunohistochemisty.Results Scores of beam walking test in transplantation group (median are 5 and 7 one and two weeks after transplantations,respectively) were significantly higher than thoses in control group (median are 3 and 5,respectively,P＜0.05).One week and two weeks after transplantations,Hoechst positive cells were found in the peri-infarct area of rats in transplantation group (7.78±1.19 cell/field and 8.15±0.90 cell/field,respectively); the number of Ki-67 positive cells in the peri-infarct area and SVZ of rats in transplantation group (15.01.19±1.58 cell/field and 13.26±1.10cell/field; 42.57±3.1 1 cell/field and 39.70±1.87 cell/field) was significantly increased as compared with those in the control group (6.29±0.83 cell/field and 6.21±0.75 cell/field; 23.22± 1.08 cell/field and 21.82±1.78 cell/field,P＜0.05).Conclusions Neurogenesis in SVZ and perinfarct region of after bone marrow stromal cell transplantation infarct rats is closely related with the motor functional recovery of infarct rats.