Blood–spinal cord barrier

The blood–spinal cord barrier is a selective interface between the bloodstream and spinal cord tissue. It regulates molecular and cellular exchange while helping maintain the spinal cord’s neural environment.

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Endothelial cell: A cell that lines the inner surface of blood vessels and regulates exchange between blood and surrounding tissues. Barrier-forming endothelial cells restrict passage through spinal cord vessel walls.
Blood–brain barrier: A selective interface between blood and brain tissue formed chiefly by specialized cerebral blood vessels. It shares core barrier features with the spinal cord interface but serves brain tissue.
Spinal cord injury: Damage to the spinal cord that can impair movement, sensation, or autonomic function. Injury disrupts barrier integrity and alters immune-cell and molecule entry.
Blood–spinal cord barrier permeability: The degree to which substances cross between blood and spinal cord tissue under particular conditions. Permeability varies with region, molecule, and pathological state.
Tight junction: A protein-based seal joining neighboring cells and limiting movement through the space between them. Tight junctions close gaps between spinal cord endothelial cells.
Blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier: A selective interface, formed mainly by choroid plexus epithelium, regulating exchange between blood and cerebrospinal fluid. It regulates a neighboring fluid compartment rather than spinal cord tissue directly.
Multiple sclerosis: An immune-mediated disease in which damage to central nervous system myelin causes neurological symptoms. Barrier changes can accompany inflammatory lesions in the spinal cord.
Blood–spinal cord barrier in aging: Age-associated changes in spinal cord vascular interfaces and their surrounding cells. How aging alters spinal cord barrier integrity remains less characterized than brain changes.
Pericyte: A contractile support cell associated with capillaries and small blood vessels. Pericytes help maintain barrier properties and regulate local vessel function.
Neurovascular unit: The interacting cells and structures that couple neural tissue with its blood supply. The barrier is one component of this broader cellular system.