word
Blood-Brain Barrier
blud brayn BAIR-ee-er
/blʌd breɪn ˈbæriər/Listen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
bloodbrainbarrier
Dictionary meaning
A highly selective semi-permeable border of endothelial cells that separates the circulating blood from the brain's extracellular fluid and nervous tissue, protecting the central nervous system from pathogens, toxins, and fluctuations in blood chemistry; while essential for brain protection, the blood-brain barrier also poses a major challenge for delivering drugs to treat brain tumours, infections, and neurological disorders.
Examples
- One of the greatest challenges in treating brain cancer is designing drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier.
- The blood-brain barrier keeps most bacteria and many chemicals out of the brain, but viruses like HIV can still penetrate it.
Synonyms: BBB, neurovascular unit, cerebral blood barrier
Learn one new pronunciation a day
Get a word, name or idiom like “Blood-Brain Barrier” in your inbox — daily or weekly, free. Unsubscribe any time.
Something wrong? Suggest a correction