Overview
- Penn State researchers report in Nature Neuroscience that small abdominal tenses shift the mouse brain inside the skull.
- Two-photon imaging showed the brain moved milliseconds before a step as the core muscles braced for locomotion.
- Micro-CT mapping identified the vertebral venous plexus as a vein network that carries pressure from the abdomen to the spine and up to the head.
- Gentle belly pressure on anesthetized mice reproduced the motion, and the brain returned to baseline as soon as the pressure ended.
- Computer models suggest the motion pushes cerebrospinal fluid outward and may help clear waste during waking, with relevance to humans still unproven.