(June 26, 2015) Studies
on mice reveal that a special protein in the brain’s tiniest blood vessels may
affect the risk of stroke. Peter Carlsson, professor in genetics at the
University of Gothenburg, and his research team are publishing new research
findings in the journal Developmental Cell about how the blood-brain barrier
develops and what makes the capillaries in the brain different from small blood
vessels in other organs.
The brain’s smallest blood vessels differ from those in
other organs in that the capillary walls are much more compact. The nerve cells
in the brain get the nutrients they need by molecules actively being
transported from the blood, instead of passively leaking out from the blood
vessels.
This blood-brain barrier is vital, because it enables strict
control over the substances with which the brain’s nerve cells come into
contact. It has a protective function that if it fails, increases the risk of
stroke and other complications.