Introduction The Central Nervous System (CNS) has been considered devoid of lymphatic vasculature, and for years, the theory of the nonexistence of the lymphatic system in the brain has been accepted as a biological/anatomical fact. This very basic fact of neuro-anatomy has recently been upset by two independent studies, revealing that the brain does, in fact, have a functional lymphatic system. Although this study was originally done on mice brains, there have been similar findings in human cadaver brains.
We know that the lymphatic system provides the body with a waste disposal system, and it has long been thought that the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) was the method by which excretory waste was eliminated from the CNS. This functional waste …show more content…
Blood was thought to be the primary transporter of the immunity cells to and from the brain (Louveau et al., 2015). Previous studies had, in fact, discovered that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was was transported to the deep cervical lymph nodes, but the mechanism was scantily understood (Louveau et al., 2015). Coincidentally, Dr. Kipnis and colleagues were trying to determine the route of immune cells’ entrance and exit from the CNS to the systemic circulation when they discovered the meningeal lymphatics. They stumbled upon this amazing discovery when they were tracing the entrance and exit pathways of T-cells through the meninges (Iliff, et.al, 2015). Incidentally, other self-regulating researchers – Aspelund and colleagues of the University of Helsinki – were carrying out a similar study where they obtained similar results – the brain meninges are lined by lymphatic vessels (Iliff, et al., 2015). Being a new development in neuroscience, this discovery means that most textbooks for neuroanatomy will have to be …show more content…
Alzheimers may be linked to a lack of clearance of protein macromolecules, or clumps, in the CNS, causing cell death. In Multiple Sclerosis, the CNS is invaded by immune cells that then attack the myelin layers covering the neurons, causing irreversible damage. The development of HIV-associated neurological disorders (HAND) may be influenced by the meningeal lymphatic system. According to Lamers, et al. (2015), researchers have assumed that HIV-infected monocytes entered the brain through the blood, by-passing the blood-brain barrier and producing an active HIV infection. After the discovery, Lamers et al. (2015) proposed that the newly revealed lymphatics in the brain are responsible for the passage of the HIV-infected cells to the
We know that the lymphatic system provides the body with a waste disposal system, and it has long been thought that the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) was the method by which excretory waste was eliminated from the CNS. This functional waste …show more content…
Blood was thought to be the primary transporter of the immunity cells to and from the brain (Louveau et al., 2015). Previous studies had, in fact, discovered that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was was transported to the deep cervical lymph nodes, but the mechanism was scantily understood (Louveau et al., 2015). Coincidentally, Dr. Kipnis and colleagues were trying to determine the route of immune cells’ entrance and exit from the CNS to the systemic circulation when they discovered the meningeal lymphatics. They stumbled upon this amazing discovery when they were tracing the entrance and exit pathways of T-cells through the meninges (Iliff, et.al, 2015). Incidentally, other self-regulating researchers – Aspelund and colleagues of the University of Helsinki – were carrying out a similar study where they obtained similar results – the brain meninges are lined by lymphatic vessels (Iliff, et al., 2015). Being a new development in neuroscience, this discovery means that most textbooks for neuroanatomy will have to be …show more content…
Alzheimers may be linked to a lack of clearance of protein macromolecules, or clumps, in the CNS, causing cell death. In Multiple Sclerosis, the CNS is invaded by immune cells that then attack the myelin layers covering the neurons, causing irreversible damage. The development of HIV-associated neurological disorders (HAND) may be influenced by the meningeal lymphatic system. According to Lamers, et al. (2015), researchers have assumed that HIV-infected monocytes entered the brain through the blood, by-passing the blood-brain barrier and producing an active HIV infection. After the discovery, Lamers et al. (2015) proposed that the newly revealed lymphatics in the brain are responsible for the passage of the HIV-infected cells to the