Laser resurfacing may be accompanied by unwanted side effects. The micro coring technology, designed to remove small skin columns, was developed to avoid the thermal injury associated with lasers. However, very limited data are available on its pre-clinical efficacy and safety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProper neuronal function requires strict maintenance of the brain's extracellular environment. Therefore, passage of molecules between the circulation and brain neuropil is tightly regulated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). While the BBB is vital for normal brain function, it also restricts the passage of drugs, potentially effective in treating brain diseases, into the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRepetitive mild traumatic brain injury in American football players has garnered increasing public attention following reports of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive tauopathy. While the mechanisms underlying repetitive mild traumatic brain injury-induced neurodegeneration are unknown and antemortem diagnostic tests are not available, neuropathology studies suggest a pathogenic role for microvascular injury, specifically blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Thus, our main objective was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a modified dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI approach we have developed to detect impairments in brain microvascular function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe blood-brain barrier (BBB), a unique anatomical and physiological interface between the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral circulation, is essential for the function of neural circuits. Interactions between the BBB, cerebral blood vessels, neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and pericytes form a dynamic functional unit known as the neurovascular unit (NVU). The NVU-BBB crosstalk plays a key role in the regulation of blood flow, response to injury, neuronal firing, and synaptic plasticity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment, redistribution of pericytes, and disturbances in cerebral blood flow may contribute to the increased seizure propensity and neurological comorbidities associated with epilepsy. However, despite the growing evidence of postictal disturbances in microcirculation, it is not known how recurrent seizures influence pericytic membrane currents and subsequent vasodilation.
Methods: Here, we investigated successive changes in capillary neurovascular coupling and BBB integrity during recurrent seizures induced by 4-aminopyridine or low-Mg conditions.
Unlabelled: The blood-brain barrier is a highly selective anatomical and functional interface allowing a unique environment for neuro-glia networks. Blood-brain barrier dysfunction is common in most brain disorders and is associated with disease course and delayed complications. However, the mechanisms underlying blood-brain barrier opening are poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA dysfunctional BBB is a common feature in a variety of brain disorders, a fact stressing the need for diagnostic tools designed to assess brain vessels' permeability in space and time. Biological research has benefited over the years various means to analyze BBB integrity. The use of biomarkers for improper BBB functionality is abundant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFocal cerebral ischemia is among the main causes of death and disability worldwide. The ischemic core often progresses, invading the peri-ischemic brain; however, assessing the propensity of the peri-ischemic brain to undergo secondary damage, understanding the underlying mechanisms, and adjusting treatment accordingly remain clinically unmet challenges. A significant hallmark of the peri-ischemic brain is dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), yet the role of disturbed vascular permeability in stroke progression is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF