Introducing the brain: the skull protects the brain (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, August 21, 2023, 21:05 (250 days ago) @ David Turell

New connections found:

https://www.sciencealert.com/your-skull-plays-a-mysterious-role-in-brain-health-we-neve...

"Bone marrow cells in the skull have a distinct response to disease, and scientists say this means the skull could be a useful way to watch and potentially treat inflammation in the brain.

"Neuroinflammation plays a significant role in many disorders of the brain and nervous system, activating immune cells and releasing inflammatory molecules that help protect and heal our tissues. Yet it can come at a cost, risking damage and compromising healing. What's more, the skull and other membranes protect the brain, making accessing it for treatment of errant inflammation challenging.

"Scientists have recently discovered pathways from the bone marrow of the skull through the brain's outermost surface of the protective membranes, the meninges, permitting immune cell movement and challenging the notion that the skull and the brain have no direct interchange.

***

"The researchers observed cellular architecture of the skull-meninges connections (SMCs) that extend closer to the brain's surface than was previously believed, often penetrating that outermost and toughest meninges membrane, the dura mater.

"These findings carry profound implications, suggesting a far more complex connection between the skull and the brain than previously believed" says Ilgin Kolabas, a neuroimmunologist from Munich University.

"Kolabas and colleagues also studied cells from six different bones, the dura mater, and the brain, finding different bones have different molecular profiles, with unique immune cells detected in the skull.

"Protein analysis of human postmortem skull, spine, and pelvic bone samples once again uncovered the skull's unique molecular profile. The calvaria, which forms part of the top of the skull, had the most differentially expressed genes and cellular receptors, mostly related to migration and inflammation.

"The team also found both human and mouse skulls contain specialized neutrophil cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a crucial role in the body's immune defense.

"Using a form of functional imaging called positron emission tomography (PET), the team detected changes in signals in the skull that mirror those from the underlying brain in human patients with Alzheimer's disease and stroke. They also detected increases in disease-specific translocator protein (TPSO) signals in various parts of the skull in many neurological diseases."

Comment: importantly protecting the brain is shown by the existing blood-brain barrier, but this protection is from a different avenue than the blood supply. This certainly supports the concept of purposeful design.