Search results for "glymphatic system"
showing 8 items of 8 documents
Recent advances in understanding the lymphatic and glymphatic systems of the brain
2015
This review summarises current knowledge on the lymphatic system of the brain. It has long been believed that the central nervous system is characterised by the lack of a lymphatic system and that the role of the lymphatic system is played by cerebrospinal fluid. Recently, research has shown that not only is the brain equipped with its own unique lymphatic system, but also that this system consists of two anatomically and functionally distinct parts. One part of this system is a classic lymphatic system, i.e. the structure composed of genuine lymphatic vessels. The other, so-called glymphatic system, is primarily built by astrocytes. The newly discovered lymphatic system of the brain is lik…
Potential Involvement of Impaired Venous Outflow from the Brain in Neurodegeneration: Lessons Learned from the Research on Chronic Cerebrospinal Veno…
2019
About 10 years ago, the so-called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency syndrome was discovered. This clinical entity, which is associated with extracranial venous abnormalities that impair venous outflow from the brain, was initially found exclusively in multiple sclerosis patients. Currently, we know that such venous lesions can also be revealed in other neurological pathologies, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Although direct causative role of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in these neurological diseases still remains elusive, in this paper, we suggest that perhaps an abnormal venous drainage of the brain affects functioning of the glymphatic system, whi…
Cisternostomy for Traumatic Brain Injury: Pathophysiologic Mechanisms and Surgical Technical Notes
2016
Objective Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major challenges in health care, representing the third most frequent cause of death. Current optimal management is based on a progressive, target-driven approach combining both medical and surgical treatment strategies. Here we describe cisternostomy, an emerging surgical treatment for the treatment of TBI. Methods Cisternostomy is a novel technique that incorporates knowledge of skull base and microvascular surgery. By opening the brain cisterns to atmospheric pressure, the technique could decrease the intracranial pressure due to a backshift of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the swollen brain to the cisterns through the Virchow-Rob…
Obstructive Malformations of the Internal Jugular Vein
2021
Obstructive malformations of the internal jugular veins represent a relatively new clinical problem, which as of yet has not been fully understood. In normal subjects, the internal jugular vein is valveless, except for a single valve, situated just above the junction of this vein with the brachiocephalic vein. Usually, normal jugular valves exhibit a two-leaflet structure. Stenotic lesions of these veins were described for the first time in 2009 in a group of multiple sclerosis patients. The most common obstructive malformation of the internal jugular vein is a stenotic valve. There are several morphological types of such aberrant valves, comprising annular stenoses, valves with fused, reve…
Activation of the glymphatic system during sleep – is the cerebral venous outflow a missing piece of the puzzle?
2019
Until recently, mechanisms responsible for an activation of the glymphatic system of the brain, the system which is responsible for cleansing of this organ of waste products, were unclear. A recently published paper has finally shed some light on this problem. It has been demonstrated that there is a temporary decrease of the arterial cerebral blood flow during the deep phase of sleep, which is followed by an influx of the cerebrospinal fluid into the cranial cavity, and that this phenomenon is probably responsible for the activation of the glymphatic system. Although, of as yet, this issue has not been studied, it is likely that such a mechanism is not effective in the settings of disturbe…
Possible Role of Glymphatic System of the Brain in the Pathogenesis of High-Altitude Cerebral Edema
2018
Simka, Marian, Paweł Latacz, and Joanna Czaja. Possible role of glymphatic system of the brain in the pathogenesis of high-altitude cerebral edema. High Alt Med Biol. 19:394–397, 2018.—In this article, we suggest that the glymphatic system of the brain can play an important role in the pathogenesis of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE). Water enters the intercellular space of the brain primarily through aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) water channels, the main component of the glymphatic system, whereas acetazolamide, pharmacological agent used in the prevention of HACE, is the blocker of the AQP-4 molecule. In animal experiments, cerebral edema caused by hypobaric hypoxia was associated with an increa…
Collapsibility of the internal jugular veins in the lateral decubitus body position: A potential protective role of the cerebral venous outflow again…
2019
Recent research has revealed that patients with neurodegenerative disease sleep longer in the supine position, while healthy controls prefer sleeping in the lateral decubitus position. Thus, sleeping in the lateral position seems to be protective against neurodegeneration. It has also been suggested that a protective role of this body position could be associated with better cerebral venous drainage in this body position, which results in more active glymphatic system of the brain (the system responsible for clearance of the cerebral tissue from waste products, e.g. amyloid-β). Since no published evidence exists regarding venous outflow from the cranial cavity in the lateral decubitus posit…
Cisternostomy: A Timely Intervention in Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries: Rationale, Indications, and Prospects.
2019
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a major public health concern worldwide, with no significant change in its epidemiology over the last 30 years. After TBI, the primary injury induces irreversible brain damage, which is untreatable. The subsequent secondary injury plays a critical role in the clinical prognosis because without effective treatment it will provide additional tissue damage. The resulting scenario is the rise in intracranial pressure (ICP) with the development of progressive neurological deficits. Current optimal management is based on a progressive, target-driven approach combining both medical and surgical treatment strategies among which is decompressive hemicraniectom…