artificial cerebrospinal fluid

Artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) is a sterile, isotonic solution formulated to mimic the electrolyte composition, osmolarity, and pH of endogenous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). It is primarily used in neuroscience research as a vehicle for intracranial drug administration, a perfusion medium for brain slices, and a control substance in experiments involving the central nervous system. By maintaining the physiological environment of neural tissues, aCSF ensures that observed effects are due to the experimental variable rather than changes in the ionic environment. It typically contains sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate, calcium chloride, sodium phosphate, and glucose, buffered to a physiological pH.

Other names

aCSFartificial CSF