Paravascular spaces at the brain surface: Low resistance pathways for cerebrospinal fluid flow

Beatrice Bedussi, Mitra Almasian, Judith de Vos, Ed VanBavel, Erik N. T. P. Bakker

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

113 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Clearance of waste products from the brain is of vital importance. Recent publications suggest a potential clearance mechanism via paravascular channels around blood vessels. Arterial pulsations might provide the driving force for paravascular flow, but its flow pattern remains poorly characterized. In addition, the relationship between paravascular flow around leptomeningeal vessels and penetrating vessels is unclear. In this study, we determined blood flow and diameter pulsations through a thinned-skull cranial window. We observed that microspheres moved preferentially in the paravascular space of arteries rather than in the adjacent subarachnoid space or around veins. Paravascular flow was pulsatile, generated by the cardiac cycle, with net antegrade flow. Confocal imaging showed microspheres distributed along leptomeningeal arteries, while their presence along penetrating arteries was limited to few vessels. These data suggest that paravascular spaces around leptomeningeal arteries form low resistance pathways on the surface of the brain that facilitate cerebrospinal fluid flow
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)719-726
JournalJournal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism
Volume38
Issue number4
Early online date2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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