Roles of fibrinolytic system components in the nervous system

Recent studies have remarkably clarified the physiological roles of fibrinolytic system components on memory formation, neuronal plasticity, neuronal migration, neuronal cell death and axonal regeneration, together with their pathophysiological roles in ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage and Alzheimer disease in the central nervous system. Fibrinolytic system components also have various roles in the peripheral and autonomic nervous system, not only under physiological conditions but also under pathophysiological conditions. In these roles, fibrinolytic system components work not only through the extracellular proteolytic cascade but also through activation of their own receptors. This paper reviews the roles of fibrinolytic system components in the nervous system.