Tissue Techniques -- Morphology and Molecular Properties of Cellular Components of Normal Cerebral Vessels -- Studies of Cerebral Vessels by Transmission Electron Microscopy and Morphometry -- Freeze-Fracture Studies of Cerebral Endothelial Tight Junctions -- Studies of Cerebral Endothelium by Scanning and High-Voltage Electron Microscopy -- Detection of Endothelial/Lymphocyte Interaction in Spinal Cord Microvasculature by Intravital Videomicroscopy -- Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability Techniques -- Pathophysiology of Blood-Brain Barrier Breakdown -- Pial Vessel Permeability to Tracers Using Cranial Windows -- Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability Using Tracers and Immunohistochemistry -- Ultracytochemical Studies of the Compromised Blood-Brain Barrier -- Immunogold Detection of Microvascular Proteins in the Compromised Blood-Brain Barrier -- Measurement of Blood-Brain and Blood-Tumor Barrier Permeabilities with [14C]-Labeled Tracers -- Blood-Brain Barrier Transport Techniques -- A Review of Blood-Brain Barrier Transport Techniques -- In Situ Brain Perfusion Technique -- Brain Efflux Index Method -- Transport Studies Using Membrane Vesicles -- Drug Transport Studies Using Quantitative Microdialysis -- Single-Pass Dual-Label Indicator Method -- Protein Transport in Cerebral Endothelium -- Transport Across the Choroid Plexuses In Vivo and In Vitro -- In Vitro Techniques -- An Overview of In Vitro Techniques for Blood-Brain Barrier Studies -- Isolation and Characterization of Human Brain Endothelial Cells -- Human Brain Microvessel Endothelial Cell and Leukocyte Interactions -- Development and Characterization of Immortalized Cerebral Endothelial Cell Lines -- Isolation and Characterization of Retinal Endothelial Cells -- Isolation and Characterization of Cerebral Microvascular Pericytes -- Molecular Techniques -- Molecular Biology of the Blood-Brain Barrier -- Blood-Brain Barrier Genomics -- Dynamic In Vitro Model of the Blood-Brain Barrier -- Phage Display Technology for Identifying Specific Antigens on Brain Endothelial Cells -- mRNA Detection in Cerebral Vessels by Nonradioactive In Situ Hybridization -- Proteomics of Brain Endothelium -- Immunoblot Detection of Brain Vascular Proteins -- Immunohistochemical Detection of Endothelial Proteins -- Genetically Altered Mice -- Cerebral Vascular Function in Genetically Altered Mice -- Generation of Transgenic Mice by Pronuclear Injection -- Mouse Genome Modification.

Despite the fact that the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier occurs in many brain diseases and is an important factor in mortality, the molecular mechanisms involved in the breakdown are not completely understood. In The Blood-Brain Barrier: Biology and Research Protocols, leading researchers and clinician-scientists present state-of-the-art morphologic, permeability, transport, in vitro, and molecular techniques to study the workings of the blood-brain barrier in health and disease. Described in step-by-step detail, each proven method includes an explanation of the theoretical basis of the method, a discussion of its advantages and limitations, notes on avoiding pitfalls, and examples of results obtained using the technique. At the cutting edge are techniques to explore the genomics and proteomics of brain endothelium. Comprehensive and state-of-the-art, The Blood-Brain Barrier: Biology and Research Protocols offers pharmacologists, physiologists, neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, and neurologists an array of powerful tools to isolate undiscovered molecules, deepen our understanding of their role in health and disease, and identify targets for future gene therapy and therapeutic intervention.