Velocity of cerebrospinal fluid in the aqueduct measured by phase-contrast MRI in rat

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation plays a key role in cerebral waste clearance via the glymphatic system. Although CSF flow velocity is an essential component of CSF dynamics, it has not been sufficiently characterized, and particularly, in studies of the glymphatic system in rat. To investigate the relationship between the flow velocity of CSF in the brain aqueduct and the glymphatic waste clearance rate, using phase-contrast MRI we performed the first measurements of CSF velocity in rats. Phase-contrast MRI was performed using a 7 T system to map mean velocity of CSF flow in the aqueduct in rat brain. The effects of age (3 months old versus 18 months old), gender, strain (Wistar, RNU, Dark Agouti), anesthetic agents (isoflurane versus dexmedetomidine), and neurodegenerative disorder (Alzheimer' disease in Fischer TgF344-AD rats, males and females) on CSF velocity were investigated in eight independent groups of rats (12 rats per group). Our results demonstrated that quantitative velocities of CSF flow in the aqueduct averaged 5.16 ± 0.86 mm/s in healthy young adult male Wistar rats. CSF flow velocity in the aqueduct was not altered by rat gender, strain, and the employed anesthetic agents in all rats, also age in the female rats. However, aged (18 months) Wistar male rats exhibited significantly reduced the CSF flow velocity in the aqueduct (4.31 ± 1.08 mm/s). In addition, Alzheimer's disease further reduced the CSF flow velocity in the aqueduct of male and female rats.