Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neuroscience Center, Zurich Neuroscience Center, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich University, Zurich, Switzerland.
Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2022;273:33-57. doi: 10.1007/164_2020_424.
The neurovascular unit (NVU) encompasses all brain cells and underlines that neurons, glia and brain vasculature are in intimate physical and functional association. Brain function is dependent on blood flow and local increases in blood flow in response to neural activity - functional hyperaemia takes place at the NVU. Although this is a vital function of the NVU, many studies have demonstrated that the NVU also performs other tasks. Blood vessels in the brain, which are composed of multiple cell types, are essential for correct brain development. They constitute the niche for brain stem cells, sense the environment and communicate changes to neural tissue, and control the immune quiescence of the CNS. In this brief chapter we will discuss new insights into the biology of NVU, which have further revealed the heterogeneity and complexity of the vascular tree and its neurovascular associations.
神经血管单元（NVU）包含所有的脑细胞，并强调神经元、神经胶质细胞和脑脉管系统之间存在密切的物理和功能联系。大脑功能依赖于血流，而神经元活动引起的局部血流增加——功能充血发生在 NVU。尽管这是 NVU 的一项重要功能，但许多研究表明，NVU 还执行其他任务。大脑中的血管由多种细胞类型组成，对大脑的正常发育至关重要。它们构成了脑干干细胞的龛位，感知环境并将变化传递给神经组织，并控制中枢神经系统的免疫静止状态。在这篇简短的章节中，我们将讨论 NVU 生物学的新见解，这些见解进一步揭示了血管树及其与神经的异质性和复杂性。
