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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Apr 3.
Published in final edited form as: Epilepsy Res. 2009 Apr 11;85(0):142–149. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2009.03.005

Figure 1.

Figure 1

A schematic illustration of BBB breakdown-induced brain response: within hours following BBB breakdown albumin diffuses into the brain’s extracellular space, binds to astrocytic TGFβ receptors and induces transcriptional change resulting in the transformation of astrocytes. Potential candidate changes are listed and include down-regulation of Kir4.1 and Glutamate transporters, connexins and glutamine synthase with up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (see text for details). The change in astrocytic functions leads within days to weeks to activity-dependent increase in neuronal excitability, hypersynchronicity and pathological plasticity which may eventually lead (within weeks–months) to excitotoxicity and damage.