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

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.

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

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

This e-book will review special features of the cerebral circulation and how they contribute to the physiology of the brain. It describes structural and functional properties of the cerebral circulation that are unique to the brain, an organ with high metabolic demands and the need for tight water and ion homeostasis. Autoregulation is pronounced in the brain, with myogenic, metabolic and neurogenic mechanisms contributing to maintain relatively constant blood flow during both increases and decreases in pressure. In addition, unlike peripheral organs where the majority of vascular resistance resides in small arteries and arterioles, large extracranial and intracranial arteries contribute significantly to vascular resistance in the brain. The prominent role of large arteries in cerebrovascular resistance helps maintain blood flow and protect downstream vessels during changes in perfusion pressure. The cerebral endothelium is also unique in that its barrier properties are in some way more like epithelium than endothelium in the periphery. The cerebral endothelium, known as the blood-brain barrier, has specialized tight junctions that do not allow ions to pass freely and has very low hydraulic conductivity and transcellular transport. This special configuration modifies Starling's forces in the brain microcirculation such that ions retained in the vascular lumen oppose water movement due to hydrostatic pressure. Tight water regulation is necessary in the brain because it has limited capacity for expansion within the skull. Increased intracranial pressure due to vasogenic edema can cause severe neurologic complications and death.

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.