A method of treating a disease selected from the group consisting of emphysema, sepsis, septic shock, ischemic injury, cerebral ischemia, a neurodegenerative disorder, meningitis, encephalitis, hemorrhage, cerebral ischemia, heart ischemia and a cognitive deficit in a subject in need thereof is provided. The method comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a combination of at least two agents, wherein a first of said two agents upregulates an activity and/or expression of Nrf2 and a second of said two agents is a glutamatergic modulator, thereby treating the disease.