The Reservoir Gate Theory: Microcirculatory Changes Involving Neurovascular Units After Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and its pathological and physiological mechanisms are complex. In recent years, the research perspective centered on neurovascular units has revealed the crucial role of microcirculation disorders after traumatic brain injury. This article reviews the pathological manifestations of microcirculation disorders after traumatic brain injury and their interaction mechanisms with damage to various components of neurovascular units (endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes), and a new hypothesis of “The Reservoir Gate Theory” in brain tissue microcirculation is proposed.