Bridging regional neurovascular unit heterogeneity and cognitive function: a review
Tsintzou A. Poirier R. Harati R. Kustubayeva A. Disdier C. Hamoudi R. Mabondzo A.
December 2025BioMed Central Ltd
Fluids and Barriers of the CNS
2025#22Issue 1
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical central nervous system interface that tightly regulates the exchange of substances between the blood circulation and the brain parenchyma. The BBB, glia, mural cells and neurons form the neurovascular unit (NVU), which modulates cerebral homeostasis. Traditionally considered a uniform and selective barrier, emerging research has unveiled significant heterogeneity in BBB properties across various brain structures. This review synthesizes current knowledge of the heterogeneity of the NVU elements of different brain structures. The structural and functional differences of the endothelial cells, glial cells, and neurons of different brain structures are pinpointed. Finally, BBB heterogeneity and its link to cognition in physiology and pathology are discussed. Understanding such relationships could help effectively target and cure neurological diseases.
Astrocytes , Cognition , Microglia , Neurons , Neurovascular unit heterogeneity , Pericytes
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Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé (DMTS), Laboratoire d’Etude de l’Unité Neurovasculaire & Innovation Thérapeutique (LENIT), Gif-sur- Yvette cedex, 91191, France
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay (NeuroPSI), Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Department of Biophysics, Biomedicine, and Neuroscience, Brain Institute, Al Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Research Institute for Medical and Health Science, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Université Paris-Saclay
Université Paris-Saclay
Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics
Department of Biophysics
Research Institute for Medical and Health Science
Division of Surgery and Interventional Science
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