The transplantation of cells capable of neuronal differentiation has great potential for the treatment of neurological conditions. I examined whether human adipose tissue stromal cells (hATSCs) can be induced to undergo neuronal differentiation. I isolated hATSCs from human liposuction tissue and induced neuronal differentiation using azacytidine. After neuronal induction, the hATSCs adopted a more neuronal morphology. These hATSCs were injected into the lateral ventricle of the rat brain, after which they migrated to various parts of the brain. After ischemic brain injury induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), a large number of cells migrated to the injured cortex. Intracerebral grafting of hATSCs significantly enhanced the recovery of functional motor deficits in MCAO rats. These data indicate that transplanted hATSCs survive, migrate and differentiate in the ischemic microenvironment and improve neurological recovery after stroke in rats.