title: Exploring the Virchow-Robin spaces function: A unified theory of brain diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) transport across the central nervous system (CNS) is no longer believed to be on the conventional lines. The Virchow-Robin space (VRS) that facilitates CSF transport from the basal cisterns into the brain interstitial fluid (ISF) has gained interest in a whole new array of studies. Moreover, new line of evidence suggests that VRS may be involved in different pathological mechanisms of brain diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here, we review emerging studies proving the feasible role of VRS in sleep, Alzheimer's disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, we have outlined the possible role of VRS in different pathological conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The new insights into the physiology of the CSF circulation may have important clinical relevance for understanding the mechanisms underlying brain pathologies and their cure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal.
authors.forename: Iype
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cherian
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beltran
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Ekkehard M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kasper
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal.
authors.forename: Binod
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bhattarai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal.
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Munokami
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BIONEC), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grasso
keywords: Alzheimer disease; Virchow–Robin spaces; chronic traumatic encephalopathy; cisternostomy; paravascular pathway