Aquaporin 4 Expression and Size Dependent Solute Movement in the Brain

The poster was presented in the Natural Sciences division during the Undergraduate Research Poster Expo on April 12, 2024.

Abstract: The glymphatic system circulates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the brain, clearing metabolic waste along perivascular and perineuronal pathways. During previous work, CSF tracer localization in vessels was observed in aquaporin-4 knockout (AQP4 KO) mice. Compared to the AQP4 KO mice, wild type mice were visually observed to exhibit greater brain tissue/parenchymal tracer influx as opposed to the increased perivascular/pial tracer circulation in the AQP4 KO mice. Because AQP4 KO mice have been shown to have enlarged interstitial spaces and reduced glymphatic clearance, it is suspected that structural or functional changes in AQP4 KO mice would result in a decreased ability for CSF tracer to exit the perivascular space and into the parenchyma. By infusing 3 kD and 70 kD dextran CSF tracer through the cisterna magna, we can quantify this difference and better understand how AQP4 dysfunction can be implicated in waste clearance and disease.