Department of Anatomy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
PLoS One. 2022 Sep 2;17(9):e0273193. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273193. eCollection 2022.
During mammalian evolution, the Myodural Bridges (MDB) have been shown to be highly conserved anatomical structures. However, the putative physiological function of these structures remains unclear. The MDB functionally connects the suboccipital musculature to the cervical spinal dura mater, while passing through the posterior atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial interspaces. MDB transmits the tensile forces generated by the suboccipital muscles to the cervical dura mater. Moreover, head movements have been shown to be an important contributor to human CSF circulation. In the present study, a 16-week administration of a Myostatin-specific inhibitor, ACE-031, was injected into the suboccipital musculature of rats to establish an experimental animal model of hyperplasia of the suboccipital musculature. Using an optic fiber pressure measurement instrument, the present authors observed a significant increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) while utilizing the hyperplasia model. In contrast, surgically severing the MDB connections resulted in a significant decrease in intracranial pressure. Thus, these results indicated that muscular activation of the MDB may affect CSF circulation, suggesting a potential functional role of the MDB, and providing a new research perspective on CSF dynamics.
在哺乳动物进化过程中，肌脊桥（MDB）被证明是高度保守的解剖结构。然而，这些结构的推测生理功能仍然不清楚。MDB 从功能上连接了枕下肌肉与颈脊髓硬脑膜，同时穿过后寰枕和寰枢间隙。MDB 将枕下肌肉产生的张力传递到颈脊髓硬脑膜。此外，头部运动已被证明是人类 CSF 循环的一个重要贡献因素。在本研究中，对大鼠的枕下肌肉注射了一种肌抑素特异性抑制剂 ACE-031，持续 16 周，以建立枕下肌肉增生的实验动物模型。利用光纤压力测量仪，本研究作者观察到利用增生模型时颅内压（ICP）显著升高。相比之下，手术切断 MDB 连接会导致颅内压显著降低。因此，这些结果表明 MDB 的肌肉激活可能会影响 CSF 循环，提示 MDB 可能具有潜在的功能作用，并为 CSF 动力学提供了一个新的研究视角。
