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Updated: Nov 9, 2025

In Vivo Imaging of Cerebrospinal Fluid Transport through the Intact Mouse Skull using Fluorescence Macroscopy
Published on: July 29, 2019
Direct imaging of glymphatic transport using H217O MRI
Mohammed S Alshuhri1,2, Lindsay Gallagher1, Lorraine M Work3
1Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, College of Medicine, Veterinary and Life Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The recently proposed glymphatic pathway for solute transport and waste clearance from the brain has been the focus of intense debate. By exploiting an isotopically enriched MRI tracer, H217O, we directly imaged glymphatic water transport in the rat brain in vivo. Our results reveal glymphatic transport that is dramatically faster and more extensive than previously thought and unlikely to be explained by diffusion alone. Moreover, we confirm the critical role of aquaporin-4 channels in glymphatic transport.
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