Newly discovered anatomy shields and monitors brain

[Kamaji]

Newly discovered anatomy shields and monitors brain

Date: January 5, 2023
Source: University of Rochester Medical Center
Summary: Researchers describe a previously unknown component of brain anatomy that acts as both a protective barrier and platform from which immune cells surveil the brain for infection and inflammation.

From the complexity of neural networks to basic biological functions and structures, the human brain only reluctantly reveals its secrets. Advances in neuro-imaging and molecular biology have only recently enabled scientists to study the living brain at level of detail not previously achievable, unlocking many of its mysteries. The latest discovery, described today in the journal Science, is a previously unknown component of brain anatomy that acts as both a protective barrier and platform from which immune cells monitor the brain for infection and inflammation.

The new study comes from the labs of Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at University of Rochester and the University of Copenhagen and Kjeld Møllgård, M.D., a professor of neuroanatomy at the University of Copenhagen. Nedergaard and her colleagues have transformed our understanding of the fundamental mechanics of the human brain and made significant findings to the field of neuroscience, including detailing the many critical functions of previously overlooked cells in the brain called glia and the brain's unique process of waste removal, which the lab named the glymphatic system.

"The discovery of a new anatomic structure that segregates and helps control the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in and around the brain now provides us much greater appreciation of the sophisticated role that CSF plays not only in transporting and removing waste from the brain, but also in supporting its immune defenses," said Nedergaard.

The study focuses on the membranes that encase the brain, which create a barrier from the rest of the body, and keep it bathed in CSF. The traditional understanding of what is collectively called the meningeal layer, a barrier comprised of individual layers known as the dura, arachnoid, and pia matter.

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Source:  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230105151355.htm

[Smokin Joe]

Neat! Thanks!

I was wondering just this very thing when the article mentioned:

When the membrane was ruptured during traumatic brain injury, the resulting disruption in the flow of CSF impaired the glymphatic system and allowed non-central nervous system immune cells to enter the brain.

I also wonder if the loss of filtration by the membrane permits toxins to cross into tissues that would normally not be exposed, causing more permanent effects from TBIs and progressive damage if the membrane is damaged severely enough.
Which begs the question of how to remediate or prevent further damage.