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[♪ Music ♪]
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Hello.
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Today we’re going to talk about
cerebrospinal fluid
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and its flow through the ventricles
and the sub-arachnoid spaces
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in the brain and spinal cord.
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CSF is the fluid which supplies
nutrients to the cortex
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and to deeper structures
within the brain
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rather than the blood flow,
which supplies nutrients
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to the surface regions.
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It is produced in the CHOROID PLEXUS,
shown here in red;
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which covers the floor
of the LATERAL VENTRICLE,
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and the roof of the THIRD VENTRICLE.
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The CSF flows from the choroid plexus
through the body and tail
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of the lateral ventricle;
and into the third ventricle
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via the INTERVENTRICULAR FORAMEN.
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CSF then flows to the 4th VENTRICLE
via the CEREBRAL AQUEDUCT,
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exiting via the MEDIAL
and LATERAL apertures.
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CSF exiting from the lateral apertures
flows to the PONTINE CISTERN
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on the ventral surface of the brain stem;
while flow from the medial aperture
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enters the CEREBELLO-MEDULLARY cistern.
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It then follows one of two paths.
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The first flows round the CEREBELLUM,
draining into the SUPERIOR CISTERN
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from where it flows into
the INTERPEDUNCULAR CISTERN.
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The second path flows down
the sub-dural space
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surrounding the spinal cord
to the LUMBAR CISTERN.
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This is where fluid is taken from
in a LUMBAR PUNCTURE.
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CSF then flows back up the spinal cord
and it joins flows from the 4th ventricle
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and the superior cistern.
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From the ventral cisterns,
CSF flows across the cortical surfaces
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in the sub-arachnoid space
draining into the SUPERIOR SAGITTAL SINUS
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via the ARACHNOID GRANULATIONS.
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It the flows down the posterior surface
towards what is called
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the CONFLUENCE OF THE SINUSES
where it joins the venous blood
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flowing from sub-cortical regions
via the STRAIGHT SINUS.
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[♪ Music ♪]
