“World-wide, this is the chapter researchers cite if they mention the blood-brain barrier in a paper,” -Dr. Baptiste LacosteDid you know problems in the blood-brain barrier play a big role in stroke, MS, and neurodegenerative diseases? When Dr. Baptiste Lacoste was invited to update the definitive reference on the blood-brain barrier, he jumped at the chance. The researcher is fascinated by how blood vessels in the brain contribute to brain and mind health. 

The blood-brain barrier is a protective layer of blood vessel cells that keep harmful things out of the brain and hold helpful things in. Conditions that weaken the barrier can have severe consequences for brain health. Understanding this barrier is also key for creating medications that can pass through it, such as anesthetics or antidepressants. 

The new blood-brain barrier chapter in the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory Press book ‘Glia’ had not been updated since 2015. Dr. Lacoste assembled a team of experts to help re-write it, including his lab manager Dr. Moises Freitas-Andrade. 

“World-wide, this is the chapter researchers cite if they mention the blood-brain barrier in a paper,” explains Dr. Lacoste. “We completely revamped it with everything new that we’ve learned in the past decade.”

Authors: Baptiste Lacoste, Alexandre Prat, Moises Freitas-Andrade, Chenghua Gu.