Blood vessels are critical to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs throughout
the body. The blood vessels that vascularize the central nervous system (CNS) possess …

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disease of the CNS that is characterized by
inflammatory demyelinating lesions in the spinal cord and optic nerve, potentially leading to …

The association of pericytes (PCs) to newly formed blood vessels has been suggested to
regulate endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, survival, migration, differentiation, and vascular …

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a critical growth factor involved in the maturation
of the CNS, including neuronal morphology and synapse refinement. Herein, we …

Highlights (AQPs) are transmembrane proteins responsible for fast water movement across
cell membranes, including those of astrocytes. The expression and subcellular localization …

Brain function is inextricably coupled to water homeostasis. The fact that most of the volume
between neurons is occupied by glial cells, leaving only a narrow extracellular space …

Tissue-and cell-specific deletion of the Aqp4 gene is required to differentiate between the
numerous pools of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels. A glial-conditional Aqp4 knockout …

Abstract Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a water-channel protein expressed strongly in the brain,
predominantly in astrocyte foot processes at the borders between the brain parenchyma and …

Water homeostasis in the brain is of central physiologic and clinical importance. Neuronal
activity and ion water homeostasis are inextricably coupled. For example, the clearance of …

Background The presence of water channel proteins, aquaporins (AQPs), in the brain led to
intense research in understanding the underlying roles of each of them under normal …