blood-brain barrier

noun

ˈbləd-ˈbrān- 

: a naturally occurring barrier created by the modification of brain capillaries (as by reduction in fenestration and formation of tight cell-to-cell contacts) that prevents many substances from leaving the blood and crossing the capillary walls into the brain tissues

Examples of blood-brain barrier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But a feverish quality also suggests a work of art that has crossed the blood-brain barrier and infected its audience. —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 1 May 2024

Manganese can also cross the blood-brain barrier and has led to sperm damage and issues with male reproduction in laboratory animals that were fed high levels of the mineral.4 Manganese naturally exists in low levels in beans, nuts, bottled, and tap water. —Korin Miller, Health, 29 May 2024

Still, Jafari suspects that the problem is a result of a massive inflammatory reaction in the body that crosses the blood-brain barrier. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024

This unique combination provides a magnesium form that has a higher ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. —Britannay Scanniello, Verywell Health, 1 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

blood-brain barrier

noun

: a naturally occurring barrier created by the modification of brain capillaries (as by reduction in fenestration and formation of tight cell-to-cell contacts) that prevents many substances from leaving the blood and crossing the capillary walls into the brain tissues

—abbreviation BBB