Neurohydrodynamics
Encyclopedia
Neurohydrodynamics is a division of neural engineering
that focuses on the hydrodynamics of the neurological system. It applies engineering principles and design concepts to neuroengineering seeking to close the gap between fluid mechanics
and neurosurgical and neurological medicine
. It combines fluid mechanics principles with neuroscience to improve neurological disorder healthcare diagnosis
, monitoring
and therapy
.
Neurohydrodynamics investigates the role of intracranial fluid hydrodynamics (e.g. cerebrospinal fluid
, cerebral blood flow
, and interstitial fluid
) in the pathophysiology
of neurological disorders such as hydrocephalus
, Chiari malformation, syringomyelia
, pseudotumor cerebri, cerebral vasospasm
, Alzheimer's disease
, multiple sclerosis
and cerebral aneurysm
.
Neurohydrodynamics is an emerging discipline within neuroengineering. Such an evolution is common as a new field transitions from being an interdisciplinary
specialization among already-established fields, to being considered a field in itself. Much of the work in neurohydrodynamics consists of clinical research
and in vitro
or computational modeling, spanning a broad array of subfields. Prominent neurohydrodynamic applications include the development of cerebral shunt
s, lumbar-peritoneal shunt
s, intrathecal pump
s, neural drug delivery systems
and various diagnostic and therapeutic medical device
s ranging from clinical equipment to micro-implants. Neurohydrodynamics relies heavily on neuroimaging
modalities such as flow sensitized MRI.
Neural engineering
Neural engineering is a discipline within biomedical engineering that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, enhance, or otherwise exploit the properties of neural systems...
that focuses on the hydrodynamics of the neurological system. It applies engineering principles and design concepts to neuroengineering seeking to close the gap between fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the study of fluids and the forces on them. Fluid mechanics can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; fluid kinematics, the study of fluids in motion; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion...
and neurosurgical and neurological medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. It combines fluid mechanics principles with neuroscience to improve neurological disorder healthcare diagnosis
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
, monitoring
Medical monitor
A medical monitor or physiological monitor or display, is an electronic medical device used in medical monitoring that displays the monitored data, and may or may not have the ability to transmit the data on a monitoring network...
and therapy
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
.
Neurohydrodynamics investigates the role of intracranial fluid hydrodynamics (e.g. cerebrospinal fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid , Liquor cerebrospinalis, is a clear, colorless, bodily fluid, that occupies the subarachnoid space and the ventricular system around and inside the brain and spinal cord...
, cerebral blood flow
Cerebral blood flow
Cerebral blood flow, or CBF, is the blood supply to the brain in a given time. In an adult, CBF is typically 750 millitres per minute or 15% of the cardiac output. This equates to 50 to 54 millilitres of blood per 100 grams of brain tissue per minute. CBF is tightly regulated to meet the brain's...
, and interstitial fluid
Interstitial fluid
Interstitial fluid is a solution that bathes and surrounds the cells of multicellular animals. It is the main component of the extracellular fluid, which also includes plasma and transcellular fluid...
) in the pathophysiology
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology is the study of the changes of normal mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions, either caused by a disease, or resulting from an abnormal syndrome...
of neurological disorders such as hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus , also known as "water in the brain," is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head,...
, Chiari malformation, syringomyelia
Syringomyelia
Syringomyelia is a generic term referring to a disorder in which a cyst or cavity forms within the spinal cord. This cyst, called a syrinx, can expand and elongate over time, destroying the spinal cord. The damage may result in pain, paralysis, weakness, and stiffness in the back, shoulders, and...
, pseudotumor cerebri, cerebral vasospasm
Vasospasm
Vasospasm refers to a condition in which blood vessels spasm, leading to vasoconstriction. This can lead to tissue ischemia and death . Cerebral vasospasm may arise in the context of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Symptomatic vasospasm or delayed cerebral ischemia is a major contributor to...
, Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
and cerebral aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
.
Neurohydrodynamics is an emerging discipline within neuroengineering. Such an evolution is common as a new field transitions from being an interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinarity
Interdisciplinarity involves the combining of two or more academic fields into one single discipline. An interdisciplinary field crosses traditional boundaries between academic disciplines or schools of thought, as new needs and professions have emerged....
specialization among already-established fields, to being considered a field in itself. Much of the work in neurohydrodynamics consists of clinical research
Clinical research
Clinical research is a branch of medical science that determines the safety and effectiveness of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use...
and in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
or computational modeling, spanning a broad array of subfields. Prominent neurohydrodynamic applications include the development of cerebral shunt
Cerebral shunt
Cerebral shunts are commonly used to treat hydrocephalus, the swelling of the brain due to excess buildup of cerebrospinal fluid . If left unchecked, the cerebral spinal fluid can build up leading to an increase in intracranial pressure which can lead to intracranial hematoma, cerebral edema,...
s, lumbar-peritoneal shunt
Lumbar-peritoneal shunt
A lumbar-peritoneal shunt is a type of cerebral shunt.-Lumbar-peritoneal shunt:A shunt is described as a tube, catheter or "surgically created anastomosis" and is designed to bypass or redirect bodily fluids from one point in the body to another....
s, intrathecal pump
Intrathecal pump
An intrathecal pump is a medical device used to deliver very small quantities of medications directly to the spinal fluid of a human being. Medications such as baclofen, morphine, or ziconotide may be delivered in this manner to minimize the side effects often associated with the higher dosages...
s, neural drug delivery systems
Neural drug delivery systems
Neural drug delivery is the next step beyond the basic addition of growth factors to nerve guidance conduits. Drug delivery systems allow the rate of growth factor release to be regulated over time, which is critical for creating an environment more closely representative of in vivo development...
and various diagnostic and therapeutic medical device
Medical device
A medical device is a product which is used for medical purposes in patients, in diagnosis, therapy or surgery . Whereas medicinal products achieve their principal action by pharmacological, metabolic or immunological means. Medical devices act by other means like physical, mechanical, thermal,...
s ranging from clinical equipment to micro-implants. Neurohydrodynamics relies heavily on neuroimaging
Neuroimaging
Neuroimaging includes the use of various techniques to either directly or indirectly image the structure, function/pharmacology of the brain...
modalities such as flow sensitized MRI.
Founding figures
- Anthony Marmarou (deceased) - Nemuth Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Virginia Hospitals of Virginia Commonwealth University. Well known for his commitment to research on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), Dr. Marmarou was considered a world authority on fluid dynamics within the brain and spinal cord. Dr. Marmarou was the recipient of the prestigious Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeThe National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion...
.
- Salomón HakimSalomón HakimSalomón Hakim Dow was a Colombian neurosurgeon, researcher, and inventor. A descendent of Lebanese immigrants, he is known for his work on neurosurgery and for the precursor of the modern valve treatment for hydrocephalus....
(June 4, 1929 in BarranquillaBarranquillaBarranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
, BogotáBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
- May 5, 2011) was a Colombian neurosurgeon, researcher, and inventor. A descendent of Lebanese immigrants, he is known for his work on neurosurgeryNeurosurgeryNeurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
and for the precursor of the modern valve treatment for hydrocephalusHydrocephalusHydrocephalus , also known as "water in the brain," is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head,...
.
- Hans ChiariHans ChiariHans Chiari was an Austrian pathologist who was a native of Vienna. He was the son of gynecologist Johann Baptist Chiari , and brother to rhinolaryngologist Ottokar Chiari ....
(September 4, 1851 − 1916) was an Austrian pathologist who described in 1891 a brain malformation that is characterized by abnormalities in the region where the brain and spinal cord meet, and it causes part of the cerebellum to protrude through the foramen magnum (bottom of the skull) into the spinal canal. This was to be called the Arnold-Chiari malformation, named after Chiari and German pathologist, Julius Arnold (1835 − 1915). The malformation was given its name in 1907 by two of Dr. Arnold's students.