Trace the Pathway of CSF

Step 5

As CSF accumulates within the subarachnoid space, it exerts pressure within the arachnoid villi. This pressure exceeds the pressure of blood in the venous sinuses. Thus, the arachnoid villi extending into the dural venous sinuses provide a conduit for a one-way flow of excess CSF to be returned into the blood within the dural venous sinuses.

Step 4

As it travels through the subarachnoid space, CSF removes waste products and provides buoyancy for the brain and spinal cord

Step 2

CSF flows from the lateral ventricles [first and second] and third ventricle through the cerebral aqueduct into the fourth ventricle

Step 1

CSF is produced by the choroid plexus in the ventricle

Step 3

Most of the CSF in the fourth ventricle flows into the subarachnoid space by passing through openings in the roof of the fourth ventricle. These ventricular openings are the paired lateral apertures and the single median aperture. CSF also fills the central canal of the spinal cord