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Brain perivascular macrophages: characterization and functional roles in health and disease
Faraco G, Park L, Anrather J, Iadecola C.. Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany), 2017-08-07
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Perivascular macrophages (PVM) are a distinct population of resident brain macrophages characterized by a close association with the cerebral vasculature. PVM migrate from the yolk sac into the brain early in development and, like microglia, are likely to be a self-renewing cell population that, in the normal state, is not replenished by circulating monocytes. Increasing evidence implicates PVM in several disease processes, ranging from brain infections and immune activation to regulation of the hypothalamic-adrenal axis and neurovascular-neurocognitive dysfunction in the setting of hypertension, Alzheimer disease pathology, or obesity.
Key findings
- PVM migrate from the yolk sac into the brain early in development and, like microglia, are likely to be a self-renewing cell population that, in the normal state, is not replenished by circulating monocytes.
- Increasing evidence implicates PVM in several disease processes, ranging from brain infections and immune activation to regulation of the hypothalamic-adrenal axis and neurovascular-neurocognitive dysfunction in the setting of hypertension, Alzheimer disease pathology, or obesity.
- These effects involve crosstalk between PVM and cerebral endothelial cells, interaction with circulating immune cells, and/or production of reactive oxygen species.
- Overall, the available evidence supports the idea that PVM are a key component of the brain-resident immune system with broad implications for the pathogenesis of major brain diseases.
Why it matters
This review describes perivascular macrophages, a distinct brain macrophage population, and notes their involvement in several conditions including Alzheimer disease pathology. It is a descriptive overview and does not report any treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany)) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Molecular Medicine: journal h-index 200 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 206 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 18.7 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 68 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Costantino Iadecola: h-index 128 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Weill Cornell Medicine: institution h-index 1,163 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28782084) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Faraco, G., Park, L., Anrather, J., & Iadecola, C. (2017). Brain perivascular macrophages: characterization and functional roles in health and disease. Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-017-1573-x
Vancouver
Faraco G, Park L, Anrather J, Iadecola C. Brain perivascular macrophages: characterization and functional roles in health and disease. Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany). 2017. doi:10.1007/s00109-017-1573-x. PMID: 28782084.
BibTeX
@article{faraco2017-28782084,
author = {Faraco, G. and Park, L. and Anrather, J. and Iadecola, C.},
title = {{Brain perivascular macrophages: characterization and functional roles in health and disease}},
journal = {Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany)},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1007/s00109-017-1573-x},
pmid = {28782084},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-017-1573-x}
}
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