blood-brain barrier

Noun

blood-brain barrier (plural blood-brain barriers)

1. A highly selective, semipermeable interface between the blood and the brain's interstitial fluid that regulates the movement of molecules and ions into the central nervous system.
   • The brain and spinal cord are insulated by a tight cellular seal called the blood-brain barrier that prevents foreign chemicals from easily getting into the brain.2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies, Fourth Estate (2011), page 147
   • It’s estimated only 0.1% of antibodies circulating in the bloodstream enter the brain – this also includes the therapeutic antibodies currently used in clinical trials. An approach my team is taking is to use ultrasound to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, which increases the uptake of...2018 January 18, Jürgen Götz, “Why it’s so hard to treat dementia”, in CNN

   Synonyms:

   BBB, hematoencephalic barrier