Previously, the authors have demonstrated that an increase in the astrocyte-associated protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), accompanies brain injury induced by a variety of chemical insults. In the present study the authors examined the effects of microwave-induced hyperthermia of the CNS on the concentration of GFAP in several brain regions of the Long-Evans rat. Irradiation resulted in a time-related increase in GFAP in olfactory bulbs and cortex, areas of maximum heating. The increase in GFAP following a brain temperature increase suggests that heating of brain tissue may be sufficient to provoke an injury response comparable to that induced by chemical and physical insult.