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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

3D Modeling of the Lateral Ventricles and Histological Characterization of Periventricular Tissue in Humans and Mouse
Published on: May 19, 2015
Ventricular dilation as an instability of intracranial dynamics
R Bouzerar1, K Ambarki, O Balédent
1Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, UFR Sciences, Université de Picardie, 33 Rue Saint-Leu, 80039 Amiens, France. robert.bouzerar@sc.u-picardie.fr
Abstract:
We address the question of the ventricles' dilation as a possible instability of the intracranial dynamics. The ventricular system is shown to be governed by a dynamical equation derived from first principles. This general nonlinear scheme is linearized around a well-defined steady state which is mapped onto a pressure-volume model with an algebraic effective compliance depending on the ventricles' geometry, the ependyma's elasticity, and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surface tension. Instabilities of different natures are then evidenced. A first type of structural instability results from the compelling effects of the CSF surface tension and the elastic properties of the ependyma. A second type of dynamical instability occurs for low enough values of the aqueduct's conductance. This last case is then shown to be accompanied by a spontaneous ventricle's dilation. A strong correlation with some active hydrocephalus is evidenced and discussed. The transfer function of the ventricles, compared to a low-pass filter, are calculated in both the stable and unstable regimes and appear to be very different.
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