Gadolinium enhancement of cranial nerves: Implications for interstitial fluid drainage from brainstem into cranial nerves in humans.

Drainage of interstitial fluid and solutes from the brainstem has not been well studied. To map one drainage pathway in the human brainstem, we took advantage of the focal blood-brain barrier disruption occurring in a multiple sclerosis brainstem lesion, coupled with intravenous injection of gadolinium, which simulates an intraparenchymal injection of gadolinium tracer within the restricted confines of this small brain region. Using high-resolution MRI, we show how it is possible for interstitial fluid to drain into the adjacent trigeminal and oculomotor nerves, in keeping with a pathway of communication between the extracellular spaces of the brainstem and cranial nerve parenchyma. Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Citation

Aravinthan Varatharaj, Roxana O Carare, Roy O Weller, Mary Gawne-Cain, Ian Galea. Gadolinium enhancement of cranial nerves: Implications for interstitial fluid drainage from brainstem into cranial nerves in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2021 Nov 09;118(45)

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PMID: 34728566

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