Ischemic storke is a kind of intractable disease with high mortality and disability. There is increasing evidence that a moderate autophay can clean damaged organelles, so as to protect cells against damage. However, excessive autophagy can degrade cell components too much to induce cell death and serious injury of tissues and organs. In a number of different animal models with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, autophagy is activated and involves regulating neuronal death in the processes of cerebral ischemic injury. In this paper, we summarize the fucntion of autophay in ischemic brain injury.