Definition
The extracellular space (ECS) comprises a system of contiguous narrow spaces interposed between the brain cells. It occupies approximately 20 % of the brain volume. Mathematical modeling quantifies the macroscopic parameters of the ECS from experimental data and tests the hypotheses about the ECS microstructure.
Detailed Description
From a perspective of patient care, ECS forms the final segment of a delivery route for all nutrients and drugs destined for the brain cells. Therapeutic agents enter the ECS across the blood-brain barrier at a capillary or from the cerebrospinal fluid, or they are released directly into the ECS. The efficacy of treatment depends on compatibility between the drug or its carrier and the ECS microenvironment.
The ECS is also fundamentally important for the brain function. Instead of merely filling the void between the brain cells, as its name might suggest, the ECS exerts a...
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References
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases And Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01NS047557.
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Hrabetova, S., Hrabe, J. (2013). Brain Extracellular Space: A Compartment for Intercellular Communication and Drug Delivery. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_716-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_716-1
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Brain Extracellular Space: A Compartment for Intercellular Communication and Drug Delivery- Published:
- 03 August 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_716-2
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Brain Extracellular Space: A Compartment for Intercellular Communication and Drug Delivery- Published:
- 08 February 2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_716-1