Papers

Peer-reviewed International journal
Aug 18, 2017

Aquaporin-4 Functionality and Virchow-Robin Space Water Dynamics: Physiological Model for Neurovascular Coupling and Glymphatic Flow.

International journal of molecular sciences
  • Tsutomu Nakada
  • ,
  • Ingrid L Kwee
  • ,
  • Hironaka Igarashi
  • ,
  • Yuji Suzuki

Volume
18
Number
8
Language
English
Publishing type
DOI
10.3390/ijms18081798

The unique properties of brain capillary endothelium, critical in maintaining the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and restricting water permeability across the BBB, have important consequences on fluid hydrodynamics inside the BBB hereto inadequately recognized. Recent studies indicate that the mechanisms underlying brain water dynamics are distinct from systemic tissue water dynamics. Hydrostatic pressure created by the systolic force of the heart, essential for interstitial circulation and lymphatic flow in systemic circulation, is effectively impeded from propagating into the interstitial fluid inside the BBB by the tightly sealed endothelium of brain capillaries. Instead, fluid dynamics inside the BBB is realized by aquaporin-4 (AQP-4), the water channel that connects astrocyte cytoplasm and extracellular (interstitial) fluid. Brain interstitial fluid dynamics, and therefore AQP-4, are now recognized as essential for two unique functions, namely, neurovascular coupling and glymphatic flow, the brain equivalent of systemic lymphatics.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18081798
PubMed
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28820467
PubMed Central
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5578185
ID information
  • DOI : 10.3390/ijms18081798
  • Pubmed ID : 28820467
  • Pubmed Central ID : PMC5578185

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