Which glial cell forms the blood-brain barrier?

Which glial cell forms the blood-brain barrier?

• A. Glial Cells
• B. Oligodendrocytes
• C. Astrocytes
• D. Schwann Cells

Answer: (C)

Astrocytes form the blood-brain barrier by their endfeet enveloping brain capillaries and signaling to endothelial cells to maintain tight junctions and the basement membrane. This perivascular astrocyte coverage, part of the glial limiting membrane, creates the selective barrier that restricts most solutes from passing between blood and the brain while still allowing essential nutrients to cross. Oligodendrocytes produce myelin in the CNS, Schwann cells in the PNS, and other glia support neurons or immune functions, but the formation and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier is primarily handled by astrocytes.

Astrocytes form the blood-brain barrier by their endfeet enveloping brain capillaries and signaling to endothelial cells to maintain tight junctions and the basement membrane. This perivascular astrocyte coverage, part of the glial limiting membrane, creates the selective barrier that restricts most solutes from passing between blood and the brain while still allowing essential nutrients to cross. Oligodendrocytes produce myelin in the CNS, Schwann cells in the PNS, and other glia support neurons or immune functions, but the formation and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier is primarily handled by astrocytes.