Hayden, M.R. A Closer Look at the Perivascular Unit in the Development of Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Biomedicines2024, 12, 96.
Hayden, M.R. A Closer Look at the Perivascular Unit in the Development of Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Biomedicines 2024, 12, 96.
Hayden, M.R. A Closer Look at the Perivascular Unit in the Development of Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Biomedicines2024, 12, 96.
Hayden, M.R. A Closer Look at the Perivascular Unit in the Development of Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Biomedicines 2024, 12, 96.
Abstract
Abstract:
The recently described perivascular unit (PVU) resides immediately adjacent to the true capillary neurovascular unit (NVU) in the postcapillary venule and contains the normal-benign perivascular spaces (PVS) and pathological enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS). The PVS are important, in that, they also have recently been identified to be the construct and the conduit responsible for the delivery of metabolic waste from the interstitial fluid to the ventricular cerebrospinal fluid for disposal into the systemic circulation and has been termed the glymphatic system. Importantly, the outermost boundary of the PVS is lined by protoplasmic perivascular astrocyte endfeet (pvACef) that communicate with regional neurons. As compared to the well-recognized and described neurovascular unit (NVU) and NVU coupling, the PVU is less well understood and remains an emerging concept. The primary focus of this narrative review is to compare the similarities and differences between these two units and discuss each of their structural and functional relationships and how they relate not only to brain homeostasis but also how they may relate to the development of multiple clinical neurological disease states and specifically how they may relate to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Additionally, the concept and importance of a perisynaptic astrocyte coupling to the neuronal synapses with pre- and postsynaptic neurons will also be considered as a perisynaptic unit to provide for the creation of the information transfer in the brain via synaptic transmission and brain homeostasis. Multiple electron microscopic images and illustrations will be utilized in order to help explain these complex units.
Biology and Life Sciences, Neuroscience and Neurology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
