Shi Chunyan, Lei Yiming, Han Hongbin, Zuo Long, Yan Junhao, He Qingyuan, Yuan Lan, Liu Huipo, Xu Ge, Xu Weiguo
Department of Radiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
Beijing Key Lab. of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technology, Beijing 100191, China.
Sci Rep. 2015 Dec 3;5:17673. doi: 10.1038/srep17673.
The transportation of substances in the interstitial space (ISS) is crucial for the maintenance of brain homeostasis, however its link to neuronal activity remains unclear. Here, we report a marked reduction in substance transportation in the ISS after neuronal excitation. Using a tracer-based method, water molecules in the interstitial fluid (ISF) could be specifically visualized in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We first observed the flow of ISF in the thalamus and caudate nucleus of a rat. The ISF flow was then modulated using a painful stimulation model. We demonstrated that the flow of ISF slowed significantly following neuronal activity in the thalamus. This reduction in ISF flow continued for hours and was not accompanied by slow diffusion into the ISS. This observation suggests that the transportation of substances into the ISS can be regulated with a selective external stimulation.
间质空间(ISS)中的物质运输对于维持脑内稳态至关重要,然而其与神经元活动的联系仍不清楚。在此,我们报告神经元兴奋后ISS中物质运输显著减少。使用基于示踪剂的方法,间质液(ISF)中的水分子在磁共振(MR)成像中能够被特异性可视化。我们首先观察了大鼠丘脑和尾状核中ISF的流动。然后使用疼痛刺激模型调节ISF流动。我们证明,丘脑神经元活动后ISF流动显著减慢。这种ISF流动的减少持续数小时,且未伴随向ISS的缓慢扩散。该观察结果表明,物质向ISS的运输可通过选择性外部刺激进行调节。