Chapter 5 - Different blood-CSF barriers

Abstract

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is mostly derived from the choroid plexi and interstitial fluid. However, under various pathological conditions, significant sources can include: the meninges, the dorsal root ganglia, the CSF cells and brain cells. CSF from each source has a typical protein pattern. Different barriers produce specific fluids with individual mixtures of different proportions of proteins. As the CSF flows along the neuraxis, the different fluids intermingle to give rise to differences in both the quantitative and qualitative nature of the protein mixture. It is clear that the entry of proteins into the CSF from serum is variable. Although the rate of flow has been plotted against age, this again does not simply relate to the elevation of CSF total protein with age, which has been well described for many years, nor is it directly coupled to the decreased rate of flow, i.e. inversely correlated with the increased level of total protein. Further work is required to illuminate the multifactorial nature of these interactions rather than relying on a singular, homogeneous view of CSF production.