Abstract
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of brain homeostasis, restricting the exchange of mononuclear cells and humoral components between the blood and brain. BBB is made up of three different cells (endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes) and two basement membranes, and the most important component of BBB is the innermost endothelial cell. Disruption of the BBB has been considered as the initial step of neuroinflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica; however, this step is also crucial in various non-inflammatory neurological disorders including ischemic stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy. In this brief article, I am going to provide basic knowledge and current concept of BBB, and describe the relationship of BBB and the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders.
