cerebrospinal fluid
Meaning of cerebrospinal fluid: Cerebrospinal fluid cushions the brain and spinal cord, circulating through the fluid filled spaces that surround these structures and helping clear cellular waste.
Definition of cerebrospinal fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear fluid that surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord, flowing through a series of connected fluid filled spaces within the brain, called ventricles, and around the outside of the brain and spinal cord, between two of the protective layers called meninges.
The fluid is produced by tissue called the choroid plexus, located within the brain's ventricles, and it continuously circulates before being reabsorbed back into the bloodstream. This ongoing production and reabsorption keeps the fluid in steady circulation around the central nervous system.
Cerebrospinal fluid cushions the brain and spinal cord against injury, helps remove waste products from surrounding tissue, and can be sampled through a lumbar puncture to help diagnose conditions such as infection or bleeding affecting the central nervous system, since changes in the fluid's composition can reflect what is happening in the tissue it surrounds.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
A lumbar puncture was performed to obtain a sample of cerebrospinal fluid for analysis.
Good to know
Changes in the color, cell count, or protein content of cerebrospinal fluid obtained by lumbar puncture can point toward a specific underlying condition, such as infection or bleeding, affecting the brain or spinal cord.
Word origin
Where “cerebrospinal fluid” comes from
Formed from Latin cerebrum, meaning brain, and spinalis, meaning of the spine, from spina, meaning spine.