Neurovascular unit (NVU)

The neurovascular unit is not a single molecule, receptor, or conventional therapeutic target but rather a multicellular anatomical and functional structure in the brain that includes endothelial cells, pericytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and the surrounding extracellular matrix[1][2][3][4][5]. The NVU coordinates the regulation of cerebral blood flow and nutrient delivery, integrates signaling between neural, vascular, and glial cells, and maintains the integrity of the blood–brain barrier[1][2][4][5][6]. Dysfunction of the NVU is implicated in a wide range of CNS pathologies, particularly neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s disease), stroke, and other disorders involving breakdown of the BBB[3][4]. The term is typically used in research or systems neuroscience, not as a classical drug target or therapeutic receptor[1][2][3][5].