From the Ancient Greeks to 17th century Sweden, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) – the clear liquid in which the human brain floats – was assigned some amount of importance by scientists, but in recent centuries, the roles of CSF have been downplayed. It is seen as a cushion and protector for the brain, among a few other supporting roles, but only very recently are scientists beginning to look deeper.

Christopher Walsh, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Genetics at Children’s, led a study published in Neuron (March 10, 2011) illuminating the potential role of CSF in the development of neural stem cells. The paper also suggests a possible link between CSF signaling and brain tumor growth and regulation. The cover image of the March issue of Neuron represents the study, as shown above.

Read more:

• Maria K. Lehtinen, Mauro W. Zappaterra, Xi Chen, Yawei J. Yang, Anthony D. Hill, Melody Lun, Thomas Maynard, Dilenny Gonzalez, Seonhee Kim, Ping Ye, A. Joseph D’Ercole, Eric T. Wong, Anthony S. LaMantia, and Christopher A. Walsh. “The cerebrospinal fluid provides a proliferative niche for neural progenitor cells.” Neuron 2011 Mar 10;69(5):893-905. Full article via Walsh Lab’s website [PDF]; abstract via Neuron.
• Children’s Hospital Boston’s press release: Study Illuminates Role of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Brain Stem Cell Development
• Post on Children’s Hospital Boston’s Vector blog: Brain juice and stem cells: Revisiting an ancient view of cerebrospinal fluid

Spotlight

• Some stem cell firsts by Children’s researchers

  Read more about stem cell milestones over the past decade.

• Reflecting on a decade of stem cell research

  Leonard Zon, MD, Director of the Stem Cell Program at Children’s Hospital Boston, and others talk about the field’s past and future in this December 2009 NPR broadcast.