Open AccessThe Role of Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cell and Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
Author(s) -
Sovannarath Pong,
Rakesh Karmacharya,
Marianna Sofman,
Jeffrey R. Bishop,
Paulo Lizano
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
complex psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2673-3005
pISSN - 2673-298X
DOI - 10.1159/000511552
Subject(s) - blood–brain barrier , neuroinflammation , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , transcellular , neuroscience , induced pluripotent stem cell , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , inflammation , immunology , medicine , gene , central nervous system , genetics , embryonic stem cell , psychiatry
Background: Despite decades of research, little clarity exists regarding pathogenic mechanisms related to schizophrenia. Investigations on the disease biology of schizophrenia have primarily focused on neuronal alterations. However, there is substantial evidence pointing to a significant role for the brain’s microvasculature in mediating neuroinflammation in schizophrenia. Summary: Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) are a central element of the microvasculature that forms the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and shields the brain against toxins and immune cells via paracellular, transcellular, transporter, and extracellular matrix proteins. While evidence for BBB dysfunction exists in brain disorders, including schizophrenia, it is not known if BMEC themselves are functionally compromised and lead to BBB dysfunction. Key Messages: Genome-wide association studies, postmortem investigations, and gene expression analyses have provided some insights into the role of the BBB in schizophrenia pathophysiology. However, there is a significant gap in our understanding of the role that BMEC play in BBB dysfunction. Recent advances differentiating human BMEC from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) provide new avenues to examine the role of BMEC in BBB dysfunction in schizophrenia.