Cerebrospinal Fluid: Functions, Composition & Disorders

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)is a clear colourless fluid and the major part of the extracellular fluid of the central nervous system. The CSF fills the brain ventricles and central spinal canal and forms a thin layer around the brain and spinal cord in the subarachnoid space and cisterns. In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the functions, composition and disorders relating to the cerebrospinal fluid. Topics include the proteomics of cerebral microdialysate; neuronal cytoskeleton components in cerebrospinal fluid in selected neurological diseases; composition of normal and pathological cerebrospinal fluid in neuropathology; cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics; and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease.