Abstract
The central nervous system has long been regarded as immunologically privileged, sequestered from peripheral immune surveillance by the blood–brain barrier and by the absence of conventional lymphatic vessels within the brain parenchyma. Over the past two decades this view has been progressively revised, as work in many laboratories has revealed that the meninges, the dural sinuses, the meningeal lymphatic vasculature, and the skull bone marrow each constitute active interfaces between the brain and the peripheral immune system. The three studies presented in this dissertation extend this revised picture in three directions, characterizing previously unappreciated cellular regulators of, anatomical conduits between, and physiological communications among the brain and its immediate peripheral compartments — the meninges, the skull, and the scalp.
Committee Chair
Jonathan Kipnis
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Author's Department
Biology & Biomedical Sciences (Immunology)
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
8-13-2026
Language
English (en)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/e0cm-e514
Recommended Citation
Mamuladze, Tornike, "Understanding brain borders" (2026). Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations. 3863.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/e0cm-e514