Perivascular macrophages mediate the neurovascular and cognitive dysfunction associated with hypertension.

ABSTRACT: Hypertension is a leading risk factor for dementia, but the mechanisms underlying its damaging effects on the brain are poorly understood. Due to a lack of energy reserves, the brain relies on continuous delivery of blood flow to its active regions in accordance with their dynamic metabolic needs. Hypertension disrupts these vital regulatory mechanisms, leading to the neuronal dysfunction and damage underlying cognitive impairment. Elucidating the cellular bases of these impairments is essential for developing new therapies. Perivascular macrophages (PVMs) represent a distinct population of resident brain macrophages that serves key homeostatic roles but also has the potential to generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we report that PVMs are critical in driving the

SUBMITTER: Faraco G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5127678 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature