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. 2019 Aug;572(7767):62-66.
doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1419-5. Epub 2019 Jul 24.

Meningeal lymphatic vessels at the skull base drain cerebrospinal fluid

Ji Hoon Ahn #  1 , Hyunsoo Cho #  2 , Jun-Hee Kim #  3 , Shin Heun Kim  4 , Je-Seok Ham  3 , Intae Park  2 , Sang Heon Suh  1 , Seon Pyo Hong  2 , Joo-Hye Song  2 , Young-Kwon Hong  5 , Yong Jeong  1   3   4 , Sung-Hong Park  6   7 , Gou Young Koh  8   9
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Meningeal lymphatic vessels at the skull base drain cerebrospinal fluid

Ji Hoon Ahn et al. Nature. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Recent work has shown that meningeal lymphatic vessels (mLVs), mainly in the dorsal part of the skull, are involved in the clearance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but the precise route of CSF drainage is still unknown. Here we reveal the importance of mLVs in the basal part of the skull for this process by visualizing their distinct anatomical location and characterizing their specialized morphological features, which facilitate the uptake and drainage of CSF. Unlike dorsal mLVs, basal mLVs have lymphatic valves and capillaries located adjacent to the subarachnoid space in mice. We also show that basal mLVs are hotspots for the clearance of CSF macromolecules and that both mLV integrity and CSF drainage are impaired with ageing. Our findings should increase the understanding of how mLVs contribute to the neuropathophysiological processes that are associated with ageing.

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