The Blood Brain Barrier In Health And Disease Volume One

Located at the interface between blood and the brain, the blood-brain barrier is a dynamic permeability barrier formed by a continuous layer of specialized endothelial cells endowed with important permeability, transport, and regulatory functions that both protect the internal milieu of the brain and allow essential nutrients to be transported into the brain. Over the last 25 years, we have witnessed remarkable expansion of our knowledge of the structure, biology, and function of the cerebral endothelium. In The Blood-Brain Barrier in Health and Disease, Volume 1, international experts discuss basic and new concepts and most recent advances pertaining to the development of the cerebral microvascular system. Subjects include the structure, function, permeability properties, transport mechanisms, and the inherent heterogeneity of the cerebral endothelium; the anatomy and physiological properties of the neurovascular unit; functional aspects of the choroid plexus; and important concepts and advances made over the last two decades that have shaped our understanding of the immunological function of the blood-brain barrier. This book is intended to serve as a valuable source of basic and advanced information for researchers, students, and clinicians interested in this fast-expanding field and stimulate further research well into the future.

Recent research into the anatomy and pathophysiology of the blood-brain and blood-spinal cord barriers suggests that a breakdown in these barriers can result in several diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS). This book presents new findings in the area of blood-brain barrier research that suggest barriers play important roles in health and disease conditions. It also discusses the development of new drugs that can modulate the barrier function in the CNS and may provide new approaches to treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and other motor neuron diseases, as well as spinal cord trauma. Key Features * Presents the recent progress made in the research on the blood-brain and spinal cord barrier * Contains numerous illustrations of light and electron micrographs * Includes Foreword written by two eminent researchers in the field, Milton Brightman and Jorge Cervos-Navarro

Located at the interface between blood and the brain, the blood-brain barrier is a dynamic permeability barrier formed by a continuous layer of specialized endothelial cells endowed with important permeability, transport, and regulatory functions that both protect the internal milieu of the brain and allow essential nutrients to be transported into the brain. Abnormalities of the blood-brain barrier are increasingly recognized as a key component in the pathogenesis of a range of primary diseases of the brain and the secondary involvement of the brain from pathological processes in other organs. In The Blood-Brain Barrier in Health and Disease, Volume 2, international experts present comprehensive reviews and research accounts on blood-brain barrier dysfunction in infectious and inflammatory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, stroke, trauma, vitamin deficiency, exposure to neurotoxicants, primary and metastatic brain tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases. This book is intended to serve as a guide and reference to basic and advanced information for researchers, students, and clinicians interested in this fast-expanding field and stimulate further research well into the future.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a complex and dynamic structure that protects the brain from cells within the vasculature, from the immune system and from pathogens. This barrier is present in arterioles, capillaries and venules and is formed at the level of adjacent endothelial cells, which are coupled to astrocytes, microglia, neurons and pericytes. The structure of this endothelial barrier is unique among endothelia of other organ systems and is composed of complexes made up of tight, gap and adherens junctions. In addition, it is the responsibility of the surrounding cellular elements to maintain the integrity of the junctional complexes and restrict the entry of substances from the blood into the brain. Changes in permeability of the BBB during physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions involve alterations in specific transporters at the level of the endothelium, activation of specific cellular second messenger pathways and/or the dissolution of the junctional complexes composing the BBB. This book focuses on various aspects that account for the formation and maintenance of the BBB, and on disease states that compromise this barrier.

Located at the interface between blood and the brain, the blood-brain barrier is a dynamic permeability barrier formed by a continuous layer of specialized endothelial cells endowed with important permeability, transport, and regulatory functions that both protect the internal milieu of the brain and allow essential nutrients to be transported into the brain. Abnormalities of the blood-brain barrier are increasingly recognized as a key component in the pathogenesis of a range of primary diseases of the brain and the secondary involvement of the brain from pathological processes in other organs. In The Blood-Brain Barrier in Health and Disease, Volume 2, international experts present comprehensive reviews and research accounts on blood-brain barrier dysfunction in infectious and inflammatory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, stroke, trauma, vitamin deficiency, exposure to neurotoxicants, primary and metastatic brain tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases. This book is intended to serve as a guide and reference to basic and advanced information for researchers, students, and clinicians interested in this fast-expanding field and stimulate further research well into the future.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Antioxidants in Health and Disease" that was published in Nutrients

Blood–brain barrier (BBB) breakdown leading to cerebral edema occurs in many brain diseases—such as trauma, stroke, inflammation, infection, and tumors—and is an important factor in the mortality arising from these con- tions. Despite the importance of the BBB in the pathogenesis of these diseases, the molecular mechanisms occurring at the BBB are not completely und- stood. In the last decade a number of molecules have been identified not only in endothelial cells, but also in astrocytes, pericytes, and the perivascular cells that interact with endothelium to maintain cerebral homeostasis. However, the precise cellular interactions at a molecular level in steady states and d- eases have still to be determined. The introduction of new research techniques during the last decade or so provide an opportunity to study the molecular mec- nisms occurring at the BBB in diseases. The Blood–Brain Barrier: Biology and Research Protocols provides the reader with details of selected morphologic, permeability, transport, in vitro, and molecular techniques for BBB studies, all written by experts in the field. Each part is preceded by a review that emphasizes the advantages and pitfalls of particular techniques, as well as offering much relevant current information. The techniques provided will be helpful to both beginners in BBB research and those more experienced investigators who wish to add a specific technique to those already available in their laboratories.