@article{3190719,
    title = "Blood-brain barrier dysfunction: the undervalued frontier of
hypertension",
    author = "Katsi, Vasiliki and Marketou, Maria and Maragkoudakis, Spyridon and and Didagelos, Matthaios and Charalambous, Georgios and Parthenakis, and Fragkiskos and Tsioufis, Costas and Tousoulis, Dimitrios",
    journal = "Journal of Human Hypertension",
    year = "2020",
    volume = "34",
    number = "10",
    pages = "682-691",
    publisher = "SPRINGERNATURE",
    issn = "0950-9240, 1476-5527",
    doi = "10.1038/s41371-020-0352-2",
    abstract = "The blood-brain barrier (BBB) constitutes the complex anatomic and
physiologic interface between the intravascular compartment and the
central nervous system, and its integrity is paramount for the
maintenance of the very sensitive homeostasis of the central nervous
system. Arterial hypertension is a leading cause of morbidity and
mortality. The BBB has been shown to be disrupted in essential
hypertension. BBB integrity is important for central autonomic control
and this may be implicated in the pathophysiology of hypertension. On
the other hand, evidence from experimental studies indicates that BBB
disruption can be present in both hypertensive disease and dementia
syndromes, suggesting a possibly key position of loss of BBB integrity
in the pathophysiological pathways linking arterial hypertension with
cognitive decline. Although much still remains to be elucidated with
respect to the exact underlying mechanisms, the discovery of novel
pathological pathways has changed our understanding of adult dementia
and central nervous system disease overall, pointing out-in parallel-new
potential therapeutic targets. The aim of this review is to summarize
current scientific knowledge relevant to the pathophysiologic pathways
that are involved in the disruption of the BBB function and potentially
mediate hypertension-induced cognitive impairment. In parallel, we
underline the differential cognition-preserving effect of several
antihypertensive agents of similar blood pressure-lowering capacity,
highlighting the presence of previously under-recognized BBB-protective
actions of these drugs."
}