Modelling and modulating brain influx in pigs

PhD defence by Miriam López Navarro

Assessment Committee

Professor Birgitte Rahbek Kornum, Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Associate professor Tuomas O Lilius, Helsinki University
Associate professor Iben Lundgaard, Lund University

Supervisors

Clinical Professor Gitte Moos Knudsen
Clinical Associate Professor Louise Møller Jørgensen
Chief engineer Claus Svarer

Department

Department of Clinical Medicine

Graduate Programme

Neuroscience

Place

Building: Panum, Room: Auditorium Victor Haderup, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen

Email address to gain access to the thesis: m.lopeznavarro17@gmail.com.
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Short description of the thesis

The brain lacks a conventional lymphatic system and instead relies on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to clear metabolic waste, a process termed glymphatic transport. Impaired clearance is linked to neurodegenerative disease, yet our understanding derives largely from rodents, and whether these mechanisms scale to larger brains remains unresolved. This thesis combines in vivo SPECT/CT imaging with ultrafast MR-encephalography in pigs to quantify CSF influx into the brain and the pulsations that drive it. By examining how anesthesia and physiological state shape these dynamics, the work establishes a translational bridge between rodent findings and the human brain.