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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neuropharmacology. 2016 Feb 18;120:20–37. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.02.014

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

Components of the BBB. The BBB is composed of a layer of specialized vascular ECs, linked together by adherens and TJ proteins. This layer is surrounded by a basement membrane, then a non-continuous layer of pericytes. An additional basement membrane and astrocytic endfeet complete the major anatomical features of the BBB. This configuration contributes to the selective exclusion of a vast majority of therapeutic agents in circulation from entering the brain parenchyma. Abbreviations: BBB = blood-brain barrier, EC = endothelial cell, TJ = tight junction.