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New Insights in the Complexity and Functionality of the Neurovascular Unit

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Physiology, Pharmacology and Pathology of the Blood-Brain Barrier

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 273))

Abstract

The neurovascular unit (NVU) encompasses all brain cells and underlines that neurons, glia and brain vasculature are in intimate physical and functional association. Brain function is dependent on blood flow and local increases in blood flow in response to neural activity – functional hyperaemia takes place at the NVU. Although this is a vital function of the NVU, many studies have demonstrated that the NVU also performs other tasks. Blood vessels in the brain, which are composed of multiple cell types, are essential for correct brain development. They constitute the niche for brain stem cells, sense the environment and communicate changes to neural tissue, and control the immune quiescence of the CNS. In this brief chapter we will discuss new insights into the biology of NVU, which have further revealed the heterogeneity and complexity of the vascular tree and its neurovascular associations.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Maarja A. Mäe for discussions, and Dr. Elisabeth Rushing and Sucheta Sridhar for editing. Cited own work was supported by external grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (31003A_159514; 310030_188952), the Swiss Heart Foundation, the Synapsis Foundation, the Leducq Foundation, the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Swiss Cancer League (KLS-3848-02-2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neuroscience Center, Zurich Neuroscience Center, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich University, Zurich, Switzerland

    Johanna Schaffenrath & Annika Keller

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  1. Johanna Schaffenrath
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  2. Annika Keller
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Correspondence to Annika Keller .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Zameel Cader

  2. Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Wien, Austria

    Winfried Neuhaus

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Schaffenrath, J., Keller, A. (2020). New Insights in the Complexity and Functionality of the Neurovascular Unit. In: Cader, Z., Neuhaus, W. (eds) Physiology, Pharmacology and Pathology of the Blood-Brain Barrier. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 273. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/164_2020_424

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