Abstract

The Role of Connexin 43 in Vascular Cognitive Diseases

Author(s): Xiaojing Li, Yijie Wu, Yamin Wang, Man Luo, Lingli Yang, Xia Zhang

Cerebrovascular disease is the most important modern disease affecting human health, subsequently the incidence of vascular dementia increases year by year. However, a significant percentage of patients were not diagnosed and didn't receive standard treatment, which is mostly related to the insufficient understanding of vascular dementia. Cerebral blood vessels play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of vascular dementia, not only for the delivery of oxygen and nutrients, but also for the trophic signaling that links the well-being of neurons and glia to that of cerebrovascular cells. In recent years, more and more evidence has shown that Cx43 and its gap junction channels are the potential therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative and vascular diseases. This review sums up the related researches of Cx43 and its gap junction channels in recent years about neurovascular unit(NVU) and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), puts forward a new prospect in the field of vascular cognitive impairment and provide theoretical basis for more in-depth researches and clinical transformation in the future.