Journal
NATURE REVIEWS NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 12, Issue 12, Pages 723-738Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/nrn3114
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Funding
- US National Institutes of Health [R37 AG023084, R37 NS34467, HL63290]
- ALS Association [1859]
- Zilkha family
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The neurovascular unit (NVU) comprises brain endothelial cells, pericytes or vascular smooth muscle cells, glia and neurons. The NVU controls blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and cerebral blood flow, and maintains the chemical composition of the neuronal 'milieu', which is required for proper functioning of neuronal circuits. Recent evidence indicates that BBB dysfunction is associated with the accumulation of several vasculotoxic and neurotoxic molecules within brain parenchyma, a reduction in cerebral blood flow, and hypoxia. Together, these vascular-derived insults might initiate and/or contribute to neuronal degeneration. This article examines mechanisms of BBB dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders, notably Alzheimer's disease, and highlights therapeutic opportunities relating to these neurovascular deficits.
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