Cerebrospinal fluid may flow out from the brain through the frontal skull base and choroid plexus: a gold colloid and cadaverine injection study in mouse fetus

Characterization of primary human leptomeningeal cells in 2D culture

Maintaining the integrity of brain barriers is critical for a healthy central nervous system. While extensive research has focused on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of the brain vasculature and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) of the choroid plexus, the barriers formed by the meninges have not received as much attention. These membranes create a barrier between the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as well as between CSF and blood. Recent studies have revealed that this barrier has been implicated in the development of neurological and immunological disorders. In order to gain a deeper comprehension of the functioning and significance of the meningeal barriers, sophisticated models of these barriers, need to be created. The aim of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of commercially available primary leptomeningeal cells (LMCs) that form the meningeal barriers, in a cultured environment, including their morphology, proteomics, and barrier properties, and to determine whether passaging of these cells affects their behaviour in comparison to their in vivo state. The results indicate that higher passage numbers significantly alter the morphology and protein localisation and expression of the LMCs. Furthermore, the primary cell culture co-stained for S100A6 and E-cadherin suggesting it is a co-culture of both pial and arachnoid cells. Additionally, cultured LMCs showed an increase in vimentin and cytokeratin expression and a lack of junctional proteins localisation on the cell membrane, which could suggest loss of epithelial properties due to culture, preventing barrier formation. This study shows that the LMCs may be a co-culture of pial and arachnoid cells, that the optimal LMC passage range is between passages two and five for experimentation and that the primary human LMCs form a weak barrier when in culture.

Fluid-Filled Dehiscences in the Anterior Cranial Fossa Floor: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

OBJECTIVE

To date, only limited information regarding the anterior cranial fossa floor (AFF) and the appearance of sites of dehiscence and potential channels has been available. We aimed to evaluate this region with thin section magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 65 patients underwent thin-sliced coronal T2-weighted MRI. The AFF was divided into 3 parts for analysis: the anterior, middle, and posterior.

RESULTS

Dehiscences were identified in 84.6% of 65 patients with apparently transmitting channels. In 49.2% of the patients, the dehiscences were located in the anterior part, whereas they were located in the middle and posterior parts in 52.3% and 12.3%, respectively. The morphology and number of these dehiscences were highly variable. In 12.3%, channels in the dehiscences were distributed extradural. Statistically, dehiscences were more frequently identified on the left side in any part of the AFF.

CONCLUSIONS

With thin-sliced, coronal T2-weighted MRI, dehiscences were frequently identified in the anterior two-thirds of the AFF. Further study is warranted to determine the role of AFF channels and dehiscences, including possibly for cerebrospinal fluid drainage.