CNS, Blood Brain Barrier And Neurovascular Unit Flashcards
What other anatomical sites have a barrier similar to the blood brain barrier?
Eye, inner ear and possibly testes
What is a physical anatomic barrier to protect the brain from circulating toxins found in blood?
Blood brain barrier
What structure mediates selective transport in and out of brain, maintains proper CSF and brain environmental concentration of glucose, ions, amino acids, neurotransmitters, hormones and vitamins and regulates interface for metabolism or modification of blood or brain borne substances?
Blood brain barrier
What structure expresses enzymes that degrade many peptides preventing entry to CSF?
Choroid plexus
The neurovascular unit is surrounded by what?
Astrocyte foot pads
What structure in the neurovascular unit has contractile function, participates in vascular development, contributes to the BBB properties, are multipotent cells, have roles in hemostasis and have immune and phagocytic functions?
Pericyte
What is the junction that occurs in epithelial cells that prevents entry of blood born substances?
Tight junction
The neurovascular unit has a high number of what organelle that is needed for energy to move particles back and fourth
Mitochondria
What structures mediate water transport into brain across blood vessels and choroid plexus and remove excess water, electrolytes, and amino acids into ventricles, brain and subarachnoid space?
Aquaporins
What maintain optimal water and it’s contents via astrocytes and are pores that allow water to be transported in and out?
Aquaporin
4 aquaporin is found where?
Astrocytes
1 aquaporin is found where?
Choroid plexus
What types of molecules are able to by pass the BBB?
High lipid soluble, small molecular weight, less molecular ionic charge, specific for transport receptors in choroid plexus or endothelium
Transporting molecules across the blood brain barrier is known as what?
Transcytosis
What are the three mechanisms of transcytosis?
Facilitated transport, active transport and efflux transport
What type of transport requires specific receptor, transports molecules from high concentration to low concentration, found in endothelium or choroid plexus but does not require energy? Ex: D-glucose transporter, large neutral amino acid transporter, actinic amino acid transporter
Facilitated transport
What type of transport requires energy, requires a specific receptor, transports molecules from low concentration to high concentration and is found within the capillary lumen, brain or CSF? Ex: insulin receptor, transferrin receptor
Active transport
What type of transport pumps out unwanted substances out of brain tissues and cells, requires specific receptors and requires energy? Ex: potassium, neurotransmitters, glutamate acid, glycine,
Efflux transporter
In what form is glucose found in the brain?
Glucose-6 phosphate
What areas of the brain lack the blood brain barrier?
Pituitary and pineal glands, area postrema, paraventricular nuclei, capillary endothelium in choroid plexus
What allows release of hormones into blood and CSF?
Pituitary and pineal glands
What detects circulating toxins to trigger vomiting?
Area postrema
What is located inside the 3rd ventricle and releases neurotransmitters and hormones into the CSF?
Paraventricular nuclei
What allows circulating molecules to reach choroid plexus epithelium? Tight junctions are now at the ependyma cells
Capillary endothelium in choroid plexus
What processes open the blood brain barrier?
Ischemia - stroke, vessel exposure to inflammatory cytokines or factors produced by tumors, marked hypertension, hyperosmolar solution arterial injections
What are a few consequences of opening the blood brain barrier?
Vasogenic cerebral edema - plasma leaving capillaries and veins into brain interstitial space, WBC entering brain or CSF, toxic molecules entering the brain - neuronal deaths, seizures, infectious organisms entering brain/CSF
What is a clear colorless fluid that fills the ventricular system and subarachnoid space and is primarily made by the choroid plexuses?
Cerebral Spinal Fluid
What are 3 CSF functions?
Mechanical support for the brain, removes brain metabolic and synaptic products, carries neurotransmitters between brain areas
Reduction of brain weight from 1500 to 50 gm and protection of brain via a water jacket from trauma describes what?
CNS mechanical support for brain