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Researchers at the Institute of Basic Sciences (IBS) have succeeded in revealing the drainage pathway for brain debris that can induce dementia.
Brain debris is a metabolite produced by the metabolic activity of the brain. The accumulation in the brain causes degenerative brain diseases such as dementia.
The team, led by Professor Koh Gou-young of Korea's Higher Institute of Science and Technology, discovered that the basal skull face is the main "hot spot" for cerebrospinal fluid drainage. .
Although scientists have confirmed that the brain drains its waste via CSF, they have not found an exact path for the brain's cleansing mechanism.
The team found that basal meningeal vessels (MLVs) were the main plumbing for CSF and that CSF macromolecules were mainly found in basal mLVs. The researchers also revealed that the main drainage system of the brain, especially basal mLV, changes with age.
"As a hidden exit from the CSF, we examined the mLVs trapped in complex structures at the base of the skull," said Professor Ahn Ji-hoon, the first author of this study.
The team used several techniques to characterize basal mLVs in detail, such as the genetically modified mouse-reporter model to visualize mLVs under a fluorescence microscope. By examining the mouse skull, researchers discovered distinctive features of basal mLV that made them suitable for CSF absorption and drainage, since basal mLVs are located near the CSF. They also verified that the specialized morphological characteristics of basal mLVs facilitated LCR uptake and drainage.
"The development of therapeutic agents that improve the drainage function of basal mLV may provide a clue to new methods of treating degenerative brain disease," said Professor Koh.
The journal Nature published the result of the study.
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