Blood-Brain Barriers: From Ontogeny to Artificial Interfaces

This first handbook to integrate developmental and cellular aspects combines the different structural and functional features involved in the regulation of brain perfusion and neuronal function. It highlights pharmacological and biomedical applications with sections on drug delivery and disease-related states as well as explaining in detail the role of astrocytes, shown to be an essential link between neurons and cerebral blood vessels. In addition the book studies how the structural elements interact in response to the dynamics of neuronal activities, necessitating adaptive mechanism of the interface. A significant part of the book describes new approaches to how the barrier can be surmised for drug delivery and how it can be mimicked by artificial in vitro systems for drug testing. Finally, the involvement of the barrier in brain diseases is considered, focusing on inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders of the brain. Covering basic knowledge as well as specific information dealing with very recent progress in blood-brain interface research, this book will be of interest to a broad audience.