Gas Diffusion in the CNS.
J Neuro Res. 2017-05-15; 96(2): 207-218
DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24077
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1. J Neurosci Res. 2018 Feb;96(2):207-218. doi: 10.1002/jnr.24077. Epub 2017 May 15.
Gas Diffusion in the CNS.
Rodriguez-Grande B(1), Konsman JP(1).
Author information:
(1)CNRS UMR 5287, INCIA, University of Bordeaux, France.
Gases have been long known to have essential physiological functions in the CNS
such as respiration or regulation of vascular tone. Since gases have been
classically considered to freely diffuse, research in gas biology has so far
focused on mechanisms of gas synthesis and gas reactivity, rather than gas
diffusion and transport. However, the discovery of gas pores during the last two
decades and the characterization of diverse diffusion patterns through different
membranes has raised the possibility that modulation of gas diffusion is also a
physiologically relevant parameter. Here we review the means of gas movement into
and within the brain through « free » diffusion and gas pores, notably aquaporins,
discussing the role that gas diffusion may play in the modulation of gas
function. We highlight how diffusion is relevant to neuronal signaling, volume
transmission, and cerebrovascular control in the case of NO, one of the most
extensively studied gases. We point out how facilitated transport can be
especially relevant for gases with low permeability in lipid membranes like NH3
and discuss the possible implications of NH3 -permeable channels in physiology
and hyperammonemic encephalopathy. We identify novel research questions about how
modulation of gas diffusion could intervene in CNS pathologies. This emerging
area of research can provide novel and interesting insights in the field of gas
biology.
© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24077
PMID: 28504343 [Indexed for MEDLINE]