blood-brain barrier
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blood-brain barrier
(blŭd′brān′)n.
A physiological mechanism that alters the permeability of brain capillaries, so that some substances, such as certain drugs, are prevented from entering brain tissue, while other substances are allowed to enter freely.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
blood′-brain′ bar`rier
n.
a layer of tightly packed cells that make up the walls of brain capillaries and prevent many substances in the blood from diffusing into the brain.
[1940–45]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | blood-brain barrier - a mechanism that creates a barrier between brain tissues and circulating blood; serves to protect the central nervous system; "the brain was protected from the large molecules of the virus by the blood-brain barrier" barrier - anything serving to maintain separation by obstructing vision or access |
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