Evidence of CSF Flow in Rostral Direction Through Central Canal of Spinal Cord in Rats

Abstract

The movement of Evans blue dye (EBD) through the central canal of the spinal cord was investigated in rats. Following injection into the dorsal columns at T5-6, the marker moved centripedally into the central canal and drained rostrally, to exit through the outlets of the fourth ventricle within 90 min. A similar pattern of clearance was produced by freeze-lesioning the dorsal columns and injecting EBD intravascularly. When the marker was injected into the lateral ventricles, the cisterna magna, or the lumbar subarachnoid space, it failed to enter the central canal. Taken together, these findings are consistent with an intraluminal flow of fluid that moves in a rostral direction through the central canal of the spinal cord in rats.