Neurobiology of Cerebrospinal Fluid 1

Physiologic compartmentalization effectively isolates the central nervous system from the rest of the body. This isolation not only provides protection of its delicate function from aberrant peripheral influences but also impedes its diagnostic evaluation. Cerebro­ spinal fluid (CSF) bathes the brain and spinal cord, is in dynamic equilibrium with its extracellular fluid, and tends to reflect the state of health and activity of the central nervous system. CSF examination is the most direct ...