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ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

Against the gradient

How inhibiting SLC12A2 could reduce CSF volume and relieve intracranial pressure

June 28, 2018 8:50 PM UTC

In a paper published in Nature Communications, University of Copenhagen researchers identified solute carrier family 12 potassium-chloride transporter member 2 (SLC12A2; NKCC1) as one protein by which CSF is transported into the brain, introducing a potential therapeutic target for conditions stemming from high intracranial pressure such as choroid plexus hyperplasia, choroid plexus papilloma and posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus.

Author Nanna MacAulay said osmotic forces are not sufficient to account for the high volume of CSF in such conditions. “Quite a few different pathologies occur when water enters the brain. Since we don’t know how it enters into the brain, we cannot stop it.” MacAulay is an associate professor of molecular neuroscience at the University of Copenhagen. ...