Neurovascular Mechanisms in Stroke, Neurodegeneration and Recovery

Neurovascular Mechanisms in Stroke, Neurodegeneration and Recovery

The emerging concept of the“neurovascular unit”may enable a powerful paradigm shift for neuroscience. Instead of a pure focus on the“neurobiology”of disease, an opportunity now exists to return to a more integrative approach. The neurovascular unit emphasizes that signaling between vascular and neuronal compartments comprise the basis for both function and dysfunction in brain. Hence, brain disorders are not just due to death of neurons, but instead manifested as cell signaling perturbations at the neurovascular interface. In this mini-review, we will examine 3 examples of this hypothesis: neurovascular mechanisms involved in the thrombolytic therapy of stroke, the crosstalk between neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and the link between vascular dysfunction and amyloid pathology in Alzheimer s disease. An understanding of cell-cell and cell-matrix signaling at the neurovascular interface may yield new approaches for targeting CNS disorders.