OBJECTIVE: To explain the mechanisms of tuhe synthesis, secretion and regulation of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and analyze its role in central nervous system diseases. DATA SOURCES: An online search of Pubmed was undertaken to identify articles related to BNP published in English from January 1990 to February 2007 by using the of “brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), central nervous system, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), brain edema, epilepsy”. Other articles were searched in China Hospital Knowledge Database (CHKD) by concrete name of journals and title of articles. STUDY SELECTION: The collected articles were primarily screened, those about BNP and its association with central nervous system diseases were selected, whereas the obviously irrelative ones excluded, and the full-texts of the other literatures were searched manually. DATA EXTRACTION: Totally 96 articles were collected, 40 of them were enrolled, and the other 56 were excluded due to repetitive studies or reviews. DATA SYNTHESIS: At present, there are penetrating studies on BNP in the preclinical medicine and clinical medicine of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, and the investigative outcomes have been gradually applied in clinical practice, and satisfactory results have been obtained. However, the application of BNP in diagnosing and treating central nervous system diseases is still at the experimental phase without - outstanding outcomes, thus the preclinical and clinical studies should be enhanced. CONCLUSION: As a kind of central medium or modulator, BNP plays a certain role in the occurrence, development and termination of central nervous system diseases, the BNP level in serum has certain changing law in SAH, brain edema, epilepsy, etc., but the specific mechanisms are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explain the mechanisms of tuhe synthesis, secretion and regulation of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and analyze its role in central nervous system diseases. DATA SOURCES: An online search of Pubmed was undertaken to identify articles related to BNP published in English from January 1990 to February 2007 by using the of “brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), central nervous system, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), brain edema, epilepsy”. Other articles were searched in China Hospital Knowledge Database (CHKD) by concrete name of journals and title of articles. STUDY SELECTION: The collected articles incorporatedially screened, those about BNP and its association with central nervous system diseases were selected, and the obviously irrelative ones excluded, and the full-texts of the other literatures were searched manually. DATA EXTRACTION: Totally 96 articles were collected, 40 of them were enrolled, and the other 56 were excluded due to repetitive studies or reviews. DATA SYNTHESIS: At present, there are penetrating studies on BNP in the preclinical medicine and clinical medicine of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, and the investigative outcomes have been gradually applied in clinical practice, and satisfactory results have been obtained. However, the application of BNP in diagnosing and treating central nervous system diseases is still at the experimental phase without - outstanding outcomes, thus the preclinical and clinical studies should be enhanced. CONCLUSION: As a kind of central medium or modulator, BNP plays a certain role in the occurrence, development and termination of central nervous system diseases, the BNP level in serum has certain changing law in SAH, brain edema, epilepsy, etc., but the specific mechanisms are unclear.