Neurovascular unit dysfunction: a vascular component of Alzheimer disease?

摘要

The structural and functional integrity of the CNS depends on the coupling between neural activity and cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the regulation of transport across the blood brain barrier (BBB). These two critical functions require the coordinated activity of a neurovascular unit that includes perivascu-lar neurons, astrocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells. There is some experimental evidence that dysfunction of the neurovascular unit may be an early event in AD (AD).1 The functional organization of the neurovascular unit and its possible role in the pathogenesis of AD have been discussed in detail in several excellent reviews.1,2,3,4 Neurovascular mechanisms in AD may have important implications for the prevention of neuronal loss in this disorder.