Common Mechanisms of Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction to Underlie Many Forms of Damage to the Brain

Researchers here note a signature of blood-brain barrier dysfunction that is common in many forms of damage and injury to the brain, suggesting it to be more broadly relevant to pathology than suspected. There is already good evidence for dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier to be an early feature of neurodegenerative diseases. The specialized cells of the blood-brain barrier line blood vessels that pass through the central nervous system, managing the passage of molecules and cells. When the barrier fails, unwanted molecules such as fibrogen can enter the brain to cause inflammation - and chronic inflammation in the brain is known to be important in the progression of neurodegeneration. Whether in the wake of a stroke, seizure, massive neuroinflammation, or a blow to the head, the endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) respond with remarkable similarity, according to a new study. Researchers reported that the endothelial cells that make up the BBB normally express a suite of genes that distinguishes them from the endothelia of other organs. However, BBB cells damaged in various ways lost this specialized signature, changing over to an expression profile more akin to endothelial cells in other parts of the body. The findings suggest that common mechanisms of BBB dysfunction underlie different brain injuries and diseases. "This raises the possibility that successfully preventing (or increasing) endothelial cell gene-expression changes that occur in one d...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs