Clearance of albumin from mouse subarachnoid space: a measure of CSF bulk flow

A method is described for percutaneous lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cannulation and intrathecal infusion in the laboratory mouse. The clearance from CSF of infused [125I]albumin was measured in a group of awake 2-month-old normal female mice as a measure of CSF bulk flow. Between 30 and 60 min following infusion, 125I activity in CSF declined linearly at a rate of 0.888 ± 0.185 percent/min corresponding to a CSF bulk flow rate of 325.27 ± 67.76 nl/min. This rate of CSF bulk flow correlates well with CSF bulk flow rates measured in larger species by the ventriculocisternal perfusion method. This method for intrathecal infusion and subsequent CSF sampling should be useful for measuring various aspects of CSF physiology in the laboratory mouse under normal and pathologic conditions.