Extracellular vesicles: interneural shuttles of complex messages

• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) deliver a set of biomolecules including regulatory RNAs and proteins between neural cells.
• EVs are suggested to play a role in CNS homeostasis and plasticity.
• EVs release neurodegenerative agents and may contribute to disease spreading.
• EVs are neuroprotective and promote regeneration in response to injury.
• EVs exchange signals between the CNS and the periphery.

A core function of neural cells is the exchange and integration of information. Extracellular vesicles such as exosomes and microvesicles recently entered the scene of neuroscience as novel vehicles transmitting complex signals between neural cells. Carrying a defined but mixed cargo of biomolecules, extracellular vesicles possess versatile biological activities with the ability to profoundly modulate the molecular configuration and behaviour of target cells. Extracellular vesicles are suggested to carry out functions during neural development and maintenance, they appear to spread neuropathology and furthermore, convey neuroprotection and regeneration. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of this sophisticated cellular crosstalk will fundamentally improve our insight in complex intercellular processes in the healthy and diseased nervous system.