Emerging Role of the Cerebrospinal Fluid – Neuronal Interface in Neuropathology

Abstract

The choroid plexus and cerebrospinal fluid have recently begun to emerge as essential
regulators of neural function. Factors produced by the choroid plexus are released into the
ventricular environment and thus provide a rich source of extracellular signaling molecules
throughout the central nervous system. Identified factors in the cerebrospinal fluid include
growth factors, hormones, proteins, peptides, lipids, glucose, microRNAs (miRNAs), messenger
RNA (mRNA), and enzymes. In addition to mediating neural function, these factors
have the potential to serve as biomarkers of disease states. In this review, we highlight recent
advances demonstrating the importance of extracellular signaling mechanisms in mediating
neural function and provide recent evidence for their role in neuropathology.