Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless body fluid found within the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord of all vertebrates.
Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) occurs within the brain. This typically causes increased pressure inside the skull. Older people may have headaches, double vision, poor balance, urinary incontinence, personality changes, or mental impairment. In babies, it may be seen as a rapid increase in head size. Other symptoms may include vomiting, sleepiness, seizures, and downward pointing of the eyes.
In neuroanatomy, the ventricular system is a set of four interconnected cavities known as cerebral ventricles in the brain. Within each ventricle is a region of choroid plexus which produces the circulating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The ventricular system is continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord from the fourth ventricle, allowing for the flow of CSF to circulate.
In anatomy, the meninges are the three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord. In mammals, the meninges are the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater. Cerebrospinal fluid is located in the subarachnoid space between the arachnoid mater and the pia mater. The primary function of the meninges is to protect the central nervous system.
Pia mater, often referred to as simply the pia, is the delicate innermost layer of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Pia mater is medieval Latin meaning "tender mother". The other two meningeal membranes are the dura mater and the arachnoid mater. Both the pia and arachnoid mater are derivatives of the neural crest while the dura is derived from embryonic mesoderm. The pia mater is a thin fibrous tissue that is permeable to water and small solutes. The pia mater allows blood vessels to pass through and nourish the brain. The perivascular space between blood vessels and pia mater is proposed to be part of a pseudolymphatic system for the brain. When the pia mater becomes irritated and inflamed the result is meningitis.
The dura mater, is the outermost of the three meningeal membranes. The dura mater has two layers, an outer periosteal layer closely adhered to the neurocranium, and an inner meningeal layer known as the dural border cell layer. The two dural layers are for the most part fused together forming a thick fibrous tissue membrane that covers the brain and the vertebrae of the spinal column. But the layers are separated at the dural venous sinuses to allow blood to drain from the brain. The dura covers the arachnoid mater and the pia mater the other two meninges in protecting the central nervous system.
The great cerebral vein is one of the large blood vessels in the skull draining the cerebrum of the brain. It is also known as the vein of Galen, named for its discoverer, the Greek physician Galen.
Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), also known as intracranial bleed, is bleeding within the skull. Subtypes are intracerebral bleeds, subarachnoid bleeds, epidural bleeds, and subdural bleeds.
The fourth ventricle is one of the four connected fluid-filled cavities within the human brain. These cavities, known collectively as the ventricular system, consist of the left and right lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ventricle. The fourth ventricle extends from the cerebral aqueduct to the obex, and is filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
In anatomy, the epidural space is the potential space between the dura mater and vertebrae (spine).
Antonio Pacchioni was an Italian scientist and anatomist, who focused chiefly on the outermost meningeal layer of the brain, the dura mater.
The median aperture is an opening at the caudal portion of the roof of the fourth ventricle. It allows the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the fourth ventricle into the cisterna magna. The other openings of the fourth ventricle are the lateral apertures - one on either side. The median aperture varies in size but accounts for most of the outflow of CSF from the fourth ventricle.
The falx cerebri is a large, crescent-shaped fold of dura mater that descends vertically into the longitudinal fissure to separate the cerebral hemispheres. It supports the dural sinuses that provide venous and CSF drainage from the brain. It is attached to the crista galli anteriorly, and blends with the tentorium cerebelli posteriorly.
The arachnoid mater is one of the three meninges, the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It is so named because of its resemblance to a spider web. The arachnoid mater is a derivative of the neural crest mesoectoderm in the embryo.
The dural venous sinuses are venous sinuses (channels) found between the periosteal and meningeal layers of dura mater in the brain. They receive blood from the cerebral veins, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the subarachnoid space via arachnoid granulations. They mainly empty into the internal jugular vein. Cranial venous sinuses communicate with veins outside the skull through emissary veins. These communications help to keep the pressure of blood in the sinuses constant.
The confluence of sinuses, torcular Herophili, or torcula is the connecting point of the superior sagittal sinus, straight sinus, and occipital sinus. It is below the internal occipital protuberance of the skull. It drains venous blood from the brain into the transverse sinuses. It may be affected by arteriovenous fistulas, a thrombus, major trauma, or surgical damage, and may be imaged with many radiology techniques.
The superior sagittal sinus, within the human head, is an unpaired dural venous sinus lying along the attached margin of the falx cerebri. It allows blood to drain from the lateral aspects of the anterior cerebral hemispheres to the confluence of sinuses. Cerebrospinal fluid drains through arachnoid granulations into the superior sagittal sinus and is returned to the venous circulation.
A subdural hygroma (SDG) is a collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), without blood, located under the dural membrane of the brain. Most subdural hygromas are believed to be derived from chronic subdural hematomas. They are commonly seen in elderly people after minor trauma but can also be seen in children following infection or trauma. One of the common causes of subdural hygroma is a sudden decrease in pressure as a result of placing a ventricular shunt. This can lead to leakage of CSF into the subdural space especially in cases with moderate to severe brain atrophy. In these cases the symptoms such as mild fever, headache, drowsiness and confusion can be seen, which are relieved by draining this subdural fluid.
The glymphatic system, glymphatic clearance pathway or paravascular system is an organ system for metabolic waste removal in the central nervous system (CNS) of vertebrates. According to this model, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), an ultrafiltrated plasma fluid secreted by choroid plexuses in the cerebral ventricles, flows into the paravascular space around cerebral arteries, contacts and mixes with interstitial fluid (ISF) and solutes within the brain parenchyma, and exits via the cerebral venous paravascular spaces back into the subarachnoid space. The pathway consists of a para-arterial influx mechanism for CSF driven primarily by arterial pulsation, which "massages" the low-pressure CSF into the denser brain parenchyma, and the CSF flow is regulated during sleep by changes in parenchyma resistance due to expansion and contraction of the extracellular space. Clearance of soluble proteins, metabolites and excess extracellular fluid is accomplished through convective bulk flow of ISF, facilitated by astrocytic aquaporin 4 (AQP4) water channels.
The meningeal lymphatic vessels are a network of conventional lymphatic vessels located parallel to the dural venous sinuses and middle meningeal arteries of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). As a part of the lymphatic system, the meningeal lymphatics are responsible for draining immune cells, small molecules, and excess fluid from the CNS into the deep cervical lymph nodes. Cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid are exchanged, and drained by the meningeal lymphatic vessels.
