Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42537647›Full record

ArticleCell2026

Spatial atlas of the human brain vasculature reveals specialized cell ensembles.

Jerry C Wang, Damian Sanchez, Santhosh Arul, Belda Gülsuyu, Adnan Gopinadhan, Tanzila Mukhtar, Joseph Kim, John P Andrews, Marcus Alonso Cee Williams, Yewon Jung and 20 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

30 authors.

Jerry C WangDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Damian SanchezDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Santhosh ArulDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Belda GülsuyuDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Adnan GopinadhanDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Tanzila MukhtarDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations (CIRI), University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Joseph KimDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
John P AndrewsDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Marcus Alonso Cee WilliamsDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Yewon JungDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Neurohub, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Mana L HashimotoDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Chang N KimDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Shubhang BhallaDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Nathan A Ewing-CrystalDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
John M BernabeiDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Vijay LetchumanDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Alexander F HaddadDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Kafi HemphillDepartment of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Shantel M WeinsheimerDepartment of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Helen KimDepartment of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Kazim H NarsinhDepartment of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Daniel L CookeDepartment of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Cathryn R CadwellDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Neurohub, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Thomas WälchliBrain Vasculature and Perivascular Niche Laboratory, Department of Oncology, University College London Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK; Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, Queen Square, London, UK.
Fanny M ElahiDepartments of Neurology, Neuroscience, Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
Andrew C YangGladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Peng HeDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Edward F ChangDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Ari B MolofskyDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Ethan A WinklerDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: ethan.winkler@ucsf.edu.

Funding

Translational InformaticsP30CA082103 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Alan Ashworth · 1999 to 2026
$209.7M
Medical Scientist Training Program (T32 NRSA Training Grant)T32GM141323 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Aimee Kao · 2021 to 2026
$10.5M
Distinct early and late programs of fibroblast - immune crosstalk govern functional responses to brain injuryR01AI180438 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Ari B Molofsky · 2024 to 2026
$2.3M
Insights from Mural Cells for Precision Medicine in Brain Arteriovenous MalformationsF31NS147788 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Jerry Wang · 2025 to 2026
$86k
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA082103NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI180438NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM141323NINDS NIH HHS F31 NS147788
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The brain vasculature comprises diverse specialized cells that are essential for brain function, yet their spatial organization remains poorly understood. Here, we construct a comprehensive cerebrovascular cell atlas encompassing 314,535 transcriptomes that captures the arteriovenous axis and defines consensus cell states. We then perform spatial transcriptomics to map 1,529,740 cells across the human temporal cortex and hippocampus, uncovering stereotyped micro-communities termed vascular cell ensembles. These ensembles comprise specialized subsets of endothelial cells, mural cells, fibroblasts, and perivascular macrophages that align with the arteriovenous architecture to coordinate segment-specific functions, such as neurovascular coupling, blood-brain barrier transport, and immune surveillance. By overlaying genetic risk and pharmacologic reactivity, we identify ensemble-specific susceptibilities and candidate therapeutic targets across neurological diseases, including small vessel disease and stroke. This study provides a resource to dissect the spatial and functional logic underlying human cerebrovascular biology and establishes a blueprint for decoding neurological disease susceptibility and therapeutic response.

Indexed as

BrainBlood-Brain BarrierEndothelial CellsFibroblastsHippocampusHumansMacrophagesSpatial TranscriptomicsTemporal LobeTranscriptomearteriovenous zonationblood-brain barriercerebrovasculatureendothelial cellsfibroblastsmural cellsneurovascular diseaseperivascular macrophagesspatial transcriptomicsvascular cell ensembles

Identifiers

PMID42537647
PMCPMC13577656

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.