近日，美国宾夕法尼亚州立大学Patrick J. Drew及其团队的最新研究探明了大脑运动是由与腹部的机械耦合驱动的。这一研究成果发表在2026年4月27日出版的国际学术期刊《自然—神经科学》上。

在这里，课题组研究人员用高速多平面双光子显微镜观察清醒头部固定小鼠的背皮质相对于颅骨的运动。大脑运动主要是由喙侧和侧侧引导的，与运动密切相关，但与呼吸或心脏周期无关。具体来说，大脑运动是由腹肌收缩驱动的，腹肌收缩激活了神经系统和腹腔之间的水力状血管连接，同样也可以由施加在腹部的压力引起。模型模拟表明，大脑运动可能驱使间质液进出大脑，进入蛛网膜下腔，与睡眠时看到的液体流动方向相反。这些结果表明，大脑与腹部隔室有机械联系，大脑中的液体流动可能与身体运动有关。

研究人员表示，大脑在颅骨内运动，但这种运动的驱动因素和后果尚不清楚。

附：英文原文

Title: Brain motion is driven by mechanical coupling with the abdomen

Author: Garborg, C. Spencer, Ghitti, Beatrice, Zhang, Qingguang, Ricotta, Joseph M., Frank, Noah, Mueller, Sara J., Greenawalt, Denver I., Turner, Kevin L., Kedarasetti, Ravi T., Mostafa, Marceline, Lee, Hyunseok, Costanzo, Francesco, Drew, Patrick J.

Issue&Volume: 2026-04-27

Abstract: The brain moves within the skull, but the drivers and consequences of this motion are not well understood. Here we visualized motion of the dorsal cortex relative to the skull in awake head-fixed mice using high-speed, multiplane two-photon microscopy. Brain motion was directed primarily rostrally and laterally, and was correlated tightly with locomotion, but not with respiration or the cardiac cycle. Specifically, brain motion was driven by abdominal muscle contractions that activate a hydraulic-like vascular connection between the nervous system and the abdominal cavity, and could similarly be induced by pressure applied to the abdomen. Model simulations suggest that brain motion may drive interstitial fluid through and out of the brain into the subarachnoid space, in the opposite direction of fluid flow seen during sleep. These results suggest that the brain is linked mechanically to the abdominal compartment, and that fluid flow in the brain could be coupled to body movements.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-026-02279-z

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-026-02279-z