[Relationship between fibrinolytic system and neurological diseases]

The fibrinolytic system, also named plasminogen system is formed by a group of molecules that transforms plasminogen in its active form plasmine, which is able to participate in a number of pathophysiological processes.

To carry out a review of the literature and an analysis of the relationship between fibrinolytic system and neurological diseases and its potential therapeutic implications.

The fibrinolytic system has been involved in many different pathologies. Although its role in neurological diseases has always been thought to be scarce, many relations have been recently established. This way, fibrinolytic system seems to be involved not only in cerebrovascular diseases but also in epilepsy, inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, alterations of the dopaminergic system, learning disorders and several lesions of the peripheral nervous system. Different genotypes of several components of this system have been related as risk or protector factors to the development of these neurological diseases and information to this respect is rapidly increasing.

A better knowledge about the relations between the fibrinolytic system and neurological diseases could clarify several aspects about their pathophysiology and it could suppose future prevention and treatment lines.