Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear, colorless liquid produced within spaces called ventricles in the brain. It is also found inside the subarachnoid space of the meninges which surrounds both the brain and the spinal chord. It bathes the exposed surfaces of the central nervous system, and completely surrounds the brain and spinal cord. In addition, a space inside the spinal chord called the central canal also contains cerebrospinal fluid. CFS acts as a cushion for the neuraxis, also bringing nutrients to the brain and spinal cord and removing waste from the system.
CFS performs several important functions:
Buoyancy: supports the weight of the brain preventing this to crash under its own, the weight. Without CSF to support …show more content…
Environmental stability: As it brings nutrients to the brain and removed them the CSF protects nervous tissue from chemical fluctuations that would disrupt neuron function. Waste and excess of CSF would be transport into the venous circulation, where they would be filtered into the blood or secreted in urine.
The Cerebral Spinal Fluid is formed by the choroid plexus in each ventricle. The choroid plexuses are formed by the fusion of the pia mater, the most internal layer of the meninges and the ependyma, the lining of the ventricles. It circulates through and eventually leaves the ventricles and enters the subarachnoid space. The excess of CSF is continuously removed from the subarachnoid space.
II. CRANIAL MENINGES The cranial meninges are three connective tissue layers that separate the soft tissue of the brain from the bones of the cranium, enclose and protect blood vessels that supply the brain, and contain the cerebrospinal fluid. Some parts of the cranial meninges form some of the veins that drain blood from the brain. The pia matter, the arachoid, and the dura matter are layers deep to the …show more content…
It is a thin layer of delicate areolar connective tissue that is highly vascularized and tightly. . Unlike the other layers, this tissue adheres closely to the brain, running down into the sulci and fissures of the cortex. It fuses with the ependyma, the membranous lining of the ventricles to form structures called the choroid plexes which produce cerebrospinal fluid.
Arachnoid or arachnoid mater: lies external to the mater. It is the middle layer of the meninges. In some areas, it projects into the sinuses formed by the dura mater. These projections are the arachnoid granulation/arachnoid villi. They transfer cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles back into the bloodstream.
The subarachanoid space lies between the arachnoid and pia mater. It is filled with cerebrospinal fluid. All blood vessels entering the brain, as well as cranial nerves pass through this space.
Dura mater: is an external tough, dense irregular connective tissue layer composed of two fibrous layers. The meningeal layer lies deep to the periosteal layers. This tissue forms several structures that separate the cranial cavity into compartments and protect the brain from