Title:How Do Abnormalities in the Cerebrospinal Fluid Impact Neuropsychology
with Progressing Age?
Volume: 22
Issue: 3
Author(s): Gargi Joshi, Anna Pick Kiong Ling, Soi Moi Chye and Rhun Yian Koh*
Affiliation:
- School of Health Sciences, International
Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Keywords:
Cerebrospinal fluid, neuropsychology, behavior, age, central nervous system, abnormalities, brain.
Abstract: The behavior of an individual changes from neonate to elderly due to the development of
the central nervous system (CNS). One of the important components of the CNS is the cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF), which bathes the brain and spinal cord. CSF has changing properties throughout life, including
composition and volume imbalance. However, a specific age group that shows prevailing abnormality-
corresponding behavior remains unclear. The objective of this article is to explore how such
changes reflect on one’s psychological as well as physical processing. Production of CSF could be affected
by many factors, including its flow, absorption, volume, and composition. Prenatally, congenital
malformations and infections hold the greatest risk of impacting the child’s physical and mental
growth. In adolescents, transmission of external substances like alcohol or drugs in the cerebrospinal
fluid is known to impact severe mood changes that potentially result in suicide and depression. In the
adult working population, the influence of stress levels on CSF composition causes anxiety and sleep
disorders. Finally, the reduced production of CSF was found to be associated with memory deficits
and Alzheimer’s disease in the aging group. From the collected evidence, it can be observed that CSF
played an important role in behavioral changes and may be associated with neurodegenerations. By
linking the CSF abnormalities to the clinical symptoms at different stages of life, it may provide additional
information in the diagnosis of diseases that are associated with neuropsychological changes.