University of Twente Student Theses
Computational modelling of cerebrospinal fluid flow in perivascular spaces
Schermer, F.W. (2022) Computational modelling of cerebrospinal fluid flow in perivascular spaces.
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| Abstract: | The flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the perivascular space is part of the waste clearance system of the brain. This system is responsible for clearing waste proteins, such as amyloid-β, produced by the brain. Accumulation of amyloid-β is linked to neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Gaining knowledge on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in these perivascular spaces is therefore crucial. Currently all simulation studies use a concentric shape for the perivascular space, but recent magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that the perivascular space is more elliptical and the artery is often off-centered. Therefore, in this study several cross-sectional shapes have been used to investigate the effect of this change of shape on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the perivascular space. The simulations in this study are performed using a Lattice Boltzmann Method solver. Three different cross-sectional shapes have been used for the simulations, being a concentric annulus, a flattened annulus and a flattened annulus with an off-centered artery. The fluid simulation showed that local velocities can increase up to 150% for the flattened PVS shape and up to 190% for the flattened PVS shape with an off-centered artery when compared to the concentric PVS. Also, the flow distribution around the artery is changed significantly with the cross-sectional shape, shifting from an evenly distributed flow in the concentric shape to a flow with two dominant regions in the flattened shape and a single dominant flow region in the off-centered shape. The local velocity differences have been shown to reduce around a bifurcation, where a more similar flow distribution is seen between the concentric and the flattened shape. In the cornering regions both flows show a single dominant flow, however the flow in the flattened geometry is forced to a different path due to the twisting of its geometry. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | ET: Engineering Technology |
| Subject: | 52 mechanical engineering |
| Programme: | Mechanical Engineering MSc (60439) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/93720 |
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