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Fig. 5 | Fluids and Barriers of the CNS

Fig. 5

From: Structural disruption of the blood–brain barrier in repetitive primary blast injury

Fig. 5

Overview of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in health and following blast-induced traumatic brain injury. a Schematic representation of the brain capillaries consisting of tightly regulated endothelial cells (red), PDGFR-β (yellow) and CD13-positive (purple) pericytes embedded in collagen IV rich basement membrane (yellow–brown) with astrocytic end-feet (blue) containing aquaporin-4 water channel protein (green). Resting microglia in the neuroparenchyma are pink. b Following mild blast injury, there is an increase in desmin-positive (green) and CD13-positive (purple) pericytes. Astrocytic end-feet displacement is identified (astrocytic endfeet in blue and aquaporin-4 in green). GFAP expression elevates with a pronounced hypertrophic phenotype (blue). Microglia are activated and emerge with a hypertrophic, bushy and/or amoeboid morphology (pink)

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