Editorial: Latest Advances in Neuroscience at the 9 th Croatian Neuroscience Congress

Kristina Mlinac-Jerković ^1* Marija Heffer ² Svjetlana Kalanj Bognar ¹ Senka Blažetić ³

• ¹ School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
• ² Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
• ³ Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Osijek, Croatia

This Research Topic includes papers which feature exciting findings and state-of-the art methodologies applied in brain research. Two original research papers address the intricacies of CSF pressure and volume redistribution. Jurjević et al. present data on experimentally caused CSF system impairment in animal model, which indicate that cervical stenosis in a head-up vertical position reduces blood perfusion of the whole brain, while aqueductal obstruction impairs only the perfusion of the local periventricular brain tissue. The reported phenomena give an important insight into hydrocephalus development. Strbačko et al. evaluate how body position influences CSF volume redistribution inside the cranial and spinal CSF compartments. The authors performed MRI volumetry in healthy volunteers in three different body positions and report significant CSF volume changes inside the spinal space in the tested body positions, with no significant CSF volume changes inside the cranium in two tested positions. Both papers significantly contribute to the understanding of fundamental physiological processes involved in CSF dynamics.A study examining regional cerebral oxygen saturation variability in preterm infants reports a potential predictor or a marker for increased likelihood of brain injury. As shown by Ćaleta et al., preterm infants have an increased aberration of regional cerebral oxygen saturation in early postdelivery period. This was found to be associated with an increased likelihood of brain injury 36 (intraventricular/cerebellar or white matter injury)