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Reduced spinal cord parenchymal cerebrospinal fluid circulation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Antoine P Fournier1, Maxime Gauberti1, Aurélien Quenault1

  • 11 Physiopathology and Imaging of Neurological Disorders (PhIND), Normandie University, Caen, France.

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism : Official Journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
|January 30, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Parenchymal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation exists in the spinal cord. This spinal CSF flow is reduced in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a multiple sclerosis model, but not in the brain.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Radiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Alterations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation are implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathophysiology.
  • Previous understanding focused on brain CSF flow, with limited knowledge of spinal cord parenchymal CSF dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the existence and characteristics of parenchymal CSF circulation within the spinal cord.
  • To determine if spinal cord CSF circulation is altered in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized high-resolution, T1-weighted MRI in freely breathing mice.
  • Injected gadolinium chelate into the cisterna magna to visualize CSF flow.
  • Induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice as an MS model.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated the presence of parenchymal CSF circulation within the spinal cord.
  • Observed a specific reduction in spinal cord parenchymal CSF circulation in EAE mice.
  • Found no significant alteration in brain parenchymal CSF circulation in EAE mice.

Conclusions:

  • Parenchymal CSF circulation occurs in the spinal cord, analogous to the brain.
  • Reduced spinal CSF flow is a specific pathological feature in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
  • This finding suggests a potential role for spinal CSF dynamics in MS pathogenesis.
Keywords:
Glymphaticdrainageneuroinflammationparavascularperivascular

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