Ischemic stroke (IS) is the most common neurological disease. With respect to its high disability and mortality and narrow treatment time window, there is an urgent need to find new treatment methods to reduce brain damage after IS. Sigma‑1 receptor (Sig‑1R) is a specific molecular chaperone protein that is highly expressed in the central nervous system and participates in the regulation of neuronal plasticity. This paper introduced the structure, distribution, related pathways and ligands of Sig‑1R, and summarized the role and mechanism of Sig‑1R in IS, so as to provide theoretical evidence for exploring the development of Sig‑1R‑related ligands as anti‑IS drug candidates.