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Fig. 1 | Fluids and Barriers of the CNS

Fig. 1

From: Advancing brain barriers RNA sequencing: guidelines from experimental design to publication

Fig. 1

The blood–brain barrier in the context of the neurovascular unit and the blood-CSF barrier. The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is located within the neurovascular unit (NVU, left scheme) at the level of the brain parenchymal microvasculature and composed of endothelial cells tightly connected by unique tight junctions. It separates brain parenchyma from the peripheral blood. Endothelial cells produce a basement membrane in which pericytes are embedded. Astrocyte endfeet closely contact the microvessels and astrocytes lay down the parenchymal basement membrane. The choroid plexus (ChP) stroma is separated from the CSF space by the blood-CSF barrier (BCSFB, right scheme), which is composed of ChP epithelial cells tightly connected by apical tight junctions. The apical side of the epithelium faces the CSF, while the basolateral side resting on an epithelial basement membrane faces the ChP stroma. The ChP stroma is highly vascularized with blood vessels lacking a BBB and populated by immune cells. The endothelial cells produce their own endothelial basement membrane

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