A blue mouse and the importance of sleep!

“Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

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The Blood-Brain-Barrier

The blood–brain barrier was discovered in the late 19th century, when the German physician Paul Ehrlich injected a dye into the bloodstream of a mouse. To his surprise, the dye infiltrated all tissues except the brain and spinal cord. While this showed that a barrier existed between brain and blood, it wasn’t until the 1960s researchers could use microscopes powerful enough to determine the physical layer of the blood–brain barrier.

They found that capillaries that form the blood–brain barrier, are wedged extremely close to each other, forming so-called tight junctions, that will only let pass:

small molecules // oxygen // hormones // glucose // amino acids

The BBB will keep toxins and pathogens from passing into the brain, ensuring proper neuronal function, as well as protecting the central nervous system further from inflammation, injury, and disease.

It's also important to know that not all parts of the brain have this barrier. For example the pineal gland with produces the hormone melatonin needs a free passage.