Objective:To explore the influence of intervention of histone deacetylase 2(HDAC2) on behavioristics of mice after photothrombotic stroke. Methods:Adeno-associated virus AAV-CAG-EGFP-Cre(2 μL) was microinjected through microcannula to the motor cortex of HDAC2flox/flox mice,aiming to knockdown HDAC2. And then,the expression of virus AAV-CAG-EGFP-Cre and its control AAV-CAG-EGFP was validated through immunofluorescence and Western blot. Seven days later,photothrombotic stroke was induced in the mice,and grid-walking task and cylinder task were conducted at day 3 before stroke and day 8 after stroke to detect behavior changes. Results:Compared with AAV-CAG-EGFP,AAV-CAG-EGFP-Cre significantly down-regulated HDAC2 expression,which was showed in the reduction of the number of GFP+/HDAC2+ cells and the expression level of HDAC2 in the peri-pinhole zone(P<0.05). Behavioral tests demonstrated that the decrease of HDAC2 didn't influence the behavior before ischemia,but significantly reduced foot faults in the grid-walking task(P<0.001) and asymmetry index in the cylinder task(P<0.001) after ischemia,which improved behavioral deficits. Conclusion:HDAC2 knock down by viral interference can promote functional recovery after photothrombotic stroke.