Pericytes of the neurovascular unit: key functions and signaling pathways

How is your doctor going to use this in collaboration with researchers to solve  Capillaries that don't open due to pericytes in the neuronal cascade of death? I bet nothing will happen, your doctor won't step up to the plate because they don't have the correct goals and objectives to actually solve all the problems in stroke. Their goal is to bring in money for the stroke department, not to solve your stroke problems. You should be able to figure out why the signaling doesn't open the capillaries.
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v19/n6/abs/nn.4288.html

• Melanie D Sweeney,
• Shiva Ayyadurai
• & Berislav V Zlokovic

• Affiliations

Nature Neuroscience

19,

771–783

(2016)

doi:10.1038/nn.4288

Received

05 October 2015

Accepted

29 February 2016

Published online

26 May 2016

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Abstract

• Abstract•
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Pericytes are vascular mural cells embedded in the basement membrane of blood microvessels. They extend their processes along capillaries, pre-capillary arterioles and post-capillary venules. CNS pericytes are uniquely positioned in the neurovascular unit between endothelial cells, astrocytes and neurons. They integrate, coordinate and process signals from their neighboring cells to generate diverse functional responses that are critical for CNS functions in health and disease, including regulation of the blood–brain barrier permeability, angiogenesis, clearance of toxic metabolites, capillary hemodynamic responses, neuroinflammation and stem cell activity. Here we examine the key signaling pathways between pericytes and their neighboring endothelial cells, astrocytes and neurons that control neurovascular functions. We also review the role of pericytes in CNS disorders including rare monogenic diseases and complex neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and brain tumors. Finally, we discuss directions for future studies.