Blood–brain barrier articles from across Nature Portfolio

A new study shows that brain-resident parenchymal border macrophages (PBMs) maintain perivascular extracellular matrix composition by the release of matrix metalloproteinases. Depletion of PBMs suppressed glymphatic fluid transport, underscoring their responsibility for perivascular space homeostasis and brain protein clearance.

Microglia are brain resident immune cells with multiple functions. However, little is known about microglia-vascular interactions. In a recent paper published in Nature Communications, Bisht et al. identify a signalling mechanism that attracts and maintains microglia at the capillary wall. Moreover, they show that microglia regulate capillary vascular tone, playing a more significant role in blood flow regulation than previously thought.