Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of the brain through nutrient delivery and removal of harmful substances in the CNS. In this cutting-edge study, Ligocki et Al. traced the flow of CSF from production sites in the CNS to peripheral nerves in live mice by infusing gold nanoparts into the lateral cerebral ventricle.
This allowed to demonstrate that gold nanoparticles (1.9 nm not 15 nM) infused in bolus in the lateral ventricles, through the root transition zone, can reach the distal peripheral nerves including the axoplasm of distal sciatic neurons.
This work is extremely relevant because it has shown that the flow of CSF is not limited to the brain and spinal cord, but extends also to peripheral nerves.