Physiology Of The Cerebrospinal Fluid

Despite the existence of two barrier systems in the brain, research over the last century has mostly focused on the blood-brain barrier rather than on the blood-CSF barrier. Today, there is a greater understanding of the function of the blood-CSF barrier and of the choroid plexus, a tissue that is the primary site of this barrier. With the growing number of studies that focus on the role of the blood-CSF barrier in CNS homeostasis and neurological disorders, a modern overview of the blood-CSF barrier is long overdue. The Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier is exclusively devoted to the blood-CSF barrier. Internationally renowned experts discuss the most recent progress in the field of choroid plexus physiology and update our knowledge of the function of the blood-CSF barrier. The book begins with an overview of the development and morphology of the choroid plexus, and then covers various aspects of its function, such as the regulation of choroidal blood flow, ion transport, and the production and transport of polypeptides. Following an extensive section on the role of the choroid plexus in CNS disorders, the final section discusses in vitro, in vivo, and in situ models of the blood-CSF barrier. This unique book analyzes a wealth of new research on the proven and potential roles of the choroid plexus/blood-CSF barrier in the brain. It is a valuable resource that will foster future studies in neuroscience, pharmacology, and toxicology.

The second volume of the Handbook does not parallel any volume of the first edition; it is one more sign, or reflection, of the expansion of the field. By emphasizing the experimental approach, it illustrates the tools that have re cently become available for investigating the nervous system. Also, perhaps even more than other volumes, it illustrates the multidisciplinary nature of the field, requiring multidisciplinary methodology. It is now recognized that the availability of methodology is often the rate-limiting determinant of studies and that improvements or innovations in instrumentation can open up new avenues. A new improved method, although opening up new possibilities and being crucial to making advances, is only a tool whose use will determine its use fulness. If we do not recognize its possibilities, its use will be limited; if we do not recognize its limitations, it will mislead us. It is the possibilities and limitations and the results obtained that are illustrated here.

This text/reference uses 574 figures and illustrations to help explain the relationships between blood and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and central nervous system (CNS). The authors focus on the interaction of these fluids and the relative importance of the transport mechanisms of hormones from blood to nervous tissue. Carrier-mediated transport of many neuroactive peptides is discussed. Special aspects of the blood-brain barrier are covered in detail. An entire chapter is devoted to the comparative physiology of the CSF and the brain barriers. Physiologists in all fields will have an interest in the updated theories covered in this book.

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear colorless fluid found in the brain and the spinal cord. It acts as a cushion for the brain, providing basic immunological and mechanical protection to the brain inside the skull. It serves an important role in cerebral autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. The brain produces approximately 500 ml of cerebrospinal fluid everyday. The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a selective semipermeable boundary separating the circulating blood from the brain and the extracellular fluid of the central nervous system. It restricts the diffusion of solutes in the blood and hydrophilic molecules into the CSF but allows the diffusion of hormones, oxygen, carbon dioxide and other polar molecules. The blood brain barrier acts to protect the brain from circulating pathogens. In cases where an infection occurs, a drug has to be administered directly into the CSF such that it can cross over into the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier. This book contains some path-breaking studies in the physiology of the cerebrospinal fluid and blood brain barriers. It will also provide interesting topics for research, which interested readers can take up. Coherent flow of topics, student-friendly language and extensive use of examples make this book an invaluable source of knowledge.

Physiologic compartmentalization effectively isolates the central nervous system from the rest of the body. This isolation not only provides protection of its delicate function from aberrant peripheral influences but also impedes its diagnostic evaluation. Cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) bathes the brain and spinal cord, is in dynamic equilibrium with its extracellular fluid, and tends to reflect the state of health and activity of the central nervous system. CSF examination is the most direct and popular method of assessing the central chemical and cellular environment in the living patient or mammal. The purpose of this multidisciplined reference text is to provide the sophisticated knowledge of CSF physiology and pathology necessary for the meaningful interpretation of data obtained by various types of CSF analysis. The methodology for reliable CSF collection, storage, preparation, and analysis is discussed with respect to individual, somatotropic, chronologic, endorcinologic, pharmacologic, and possible artifactual var iations in CSF composition. These essential aspects, which ensure the validity of CSF data, are presented to aid the investigator in clinical and experimental protocol formu lation and in elimination of possible sources of error.