Blood vessels perform the fundamental role of providing conduits for the circulation of oxygen and nutrients and the removal of waste products throughout the body. Disruption of tissue perfusion by ischemia or hemorrhage of blood vessels has a range of devastating consequences including stroke. Stroke is a complex trait that includes both genetic and environmental risk factors. The zebrafish is an attractive model for the study of hemorrhagic stroke due to the conservation of the molecular mechanisms of blood vascular development among vertebrates and the experimental advantages that can be applied to zebrafish embryos and larva. This chapter will focus on the maintenance of vascular integrity and some of the seminal experimentation carried out in the zebrafish.
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