An inhibiting or alleviating agent for inflammation in the brain comprising an extract from inflamed tissue inoculated with vaccinia virus as the active ingredient. In another aspect, the invention relates to a determination or evaluation method of an extract from inflamed tissue inoculated with vaccinia virus or an agent comprising the extract, characterized in that the inhibition of the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and/or NF-κB pathway related proteins induced by the promotion of expression of BDNF in cultivated glial cells is used as an indicator. In still another aspect, the invention also relates to a use of an extract from inflamed tissue inoculated with vaccinia virus in the production of the inhibiting or alleviating agent for inflammation in the brain.