The Neurovascular Unit Coming of Age: A Journey through Neurovascular Coupling in Health and Disease.

TitleThe Neurovascular Unit Coming of Age: A Journey through Neurovascular Coupling in Health and Disease.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsIadecola C
JournalNeuron
Volume96
Issue1
Pagination17-42
Date Published2017 Sep 27
ISSN1097-4199
KeywordsAstrocytes, Brain, Health, Humans, Models, Neurological, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurons, Neurovascular Coupling, Signal Transduction
Abstract

The concept of the neurovascular unit (NVU), formalized at the 2001 Stroke Progress Review Group meeting of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, emphasizes the intimate relationship between the brain and its vessels. Since then, the NVU has attracted the interest of the neuroscience community, resulting in considerable advances in the field. Here the current state of knowledge of the NVU will be assessed, focusing on one of its most vital roles: the coupling between neural activity and blood flow. The evidence supports a conceptual shift in the mechanisms of neurovascular coupling, from a unidimensional process involving neuronal-astrocytic signaling to local blood vessels to a multidimensional one in which mediators released from multiple cells engage distinct signaling pathways and effector systems across the entire cerebrovascular network in a highly orchestrated manner. The recently appreciated NVU dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases, although still poorly understood, supports emerging concepts that maintaining neurovascular health promotes brain health.

DOI10.1016/j.neuron.2017.07.030
Alternate JournalNeuron
PubMed ID28957666
PubMed Central IDPMC5657612
Grant ListR01 NS037853 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
R01 NS100447 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
R01 NS034179 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
R01 NS095441 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
R37 NS089323 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States