Arachnoid granulations (also arachnoid villi, and pacchionian granulations or bodies) are small protrusions of the arachnoid mater (the thin second layer covering the brain) into the outer membrane of the

dura mater In neuroanatomy, dura mater is a thick membrane made of dense irregular connective tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. It is the outermost of the three layers of membrane called the meninges that protect the central nervous system. ...

(the thick outer layer). They protrude into the

dural venous sinuses The dural venous sinuses (also called dural sinuses, cerebral sinuses, or cranial sinuses) are venous channels found between the endosteal and meningeal layers of dura mater in the brain. They receive blood from the cerebral veins, receive cere ...

of the brain, and allow

cerebrospinal fluid Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless body fluid found within the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord of all vertebrates. CSF is produced by specialised ependymal cells in the choroid plexus of the ventricles of the ...

(CSF) to exit the subarachnoid space and enter the blood stream. The largest granulations lie along the superior sagittal sinus, a large venous space running from front to back along the center of the head (on the inside of the

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...

). They are, however, present along other dural sinuses as well.

Function

Diffusion across the arachnoid granulations into the superior sagittal sinus returns CSF to the venous circulation. The arachnoid granulations act as one-way

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...

s. Normally the

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

of the CSF is higher than that of the

venous system Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated ...

, so CSF flows through the villi and granulations into the blood. If the pressure is reversed for some reason, fluid will not pass back into the subarachnoid space. The reason for this is not known. It has been suggested that the endothelial cells of the venous sinus create

vacuole A vacuole () is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in plant and fungal cells and some protist, animal, and bacterial cells. Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water containing inorganic and organic m ...

s of CSF, which move through the cell and out into the blood. The importance of arachnoid granulations for the drainage of CSF is controversial. By some accounts, a large portion (perhaps the majority) of CSF is drained through lymphatics associated with extracranial segments of the cranial nerves. A large proportion of CSF is believed to leave the cranial vault through the axons of CN I (olfactory nerve) through their extension through the

cribriform plate In mammalian anatomy, the cribriform plate (Latin for lit. ''sieve-shaped''), horizontal lamina or lamina cribrosa is part of the ethmoid bone. It is received into the ethmoidal notch of the frontal bone and roofs in the nasal cavities. It supp ...

. On the inner surface of cranial bones, small pits called granular fovea are produced by arachnoid granulations.

Eponym

Occasionally, they are referred to by their old name: Pacchioni's granulations or pacchionian bodies, named after Italian anatomist Antonio Pacchioni.

References

Additional images

File:Gray133.png, Left parietal bone. Inner surface. File:Gray135.png, Frontal bone. Inner surface. File:CT scan of a pacchionian body - transverse plane - labeled.jpg,

CT angiography Computed tomography angiography (also called CT angiography or CTA) is a computed tomography technique used for angiography—the visualization of arteries and veins—throughout the human body. Using contrast injected into the blood vessels, im ...

showing an arachnoid granulation in the right

transverse sinus The transverse sinuses (left and right lateral sinuses), within the human head, are two areas beneath the brain which allow blood to drain from the back of the head. They run laterally in a groove along the interior surface of the occipital bone. ...

File:Pacchioni-Granulation CT KF.jpg, Non-contrast CT scan of the head showing an arachnoid granulation {{Authority control Meninges