Extracellular matrix and blood-brain barrier function

Abstract

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a functional characteristic of the cerebral microvasculature that determines which molecules can travel from the bloodstream to the brain parenchyma and vice versa. During the last few decades, we have investigated the contribution of vascular extracellular matrix (ECM) to BBB function. The present review analyzes our findings in the light of recent data on age-related brain function alterations and discusses the potential contribution of BBB function impairment to the processes that determine these alterations.