Recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is the fibrinolytic drug of choice to treat stroke patients. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that besides its beneficial thrombolytic role, tPA can also have a deleterious effect on the ischaemic brain. Although ageing influences stroke incidence, complications and outcome, age-dependent relationships between endogenous tPA and stroke injuries have not been investigated yet. Here, we report that ageing is associated with a selective lowering of brain tPA expression in the murine brain. Moreover, our results show that albumin D site-binding protein (DBP) as a key age-associated regulator of the neuronal transcription of tPA. Additionally, inhibition of DBP-mediated tPA expression confers in vitro neuroprotection. Accordingly, reduced levels of tPA in old mice are associated with smaller excitotoxic/ischaemic injuries and protection of the permeability of the neurovascular unit during cerebral ischaemia. Likewise, we provide neuroradiological evidence indicating the existence of an inverse relationship between age and the volume of the ischaemic lesion in patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Together, these results indicate that the relationship among DBP, tPA and ageing play an important role in the outcome of cerebral ischaemia.