Changing the Position of Water Channels in Brain Cells to Treat Brain Swelling

Inhibition of calmodulin with trifluoperazine eliminated CNS edema in a rat spinal cord injury model.

• CNS edema affects millions but current treatments only manage symptoms.
• Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) helps regulate water movement in the brain and spinal cord.
• AQP4's presence on the cell surface increases when cells swell due to low oxygen levels.
• Calmodulin plays a crucial role by binding to AQP4 and facilitating its movement to the cell surface.
• Blocking calmodulin prevents AQP4 from reaching the blood-spinal cord barrier and reduces swelling.
• Targeting the calmodulin-AQP4 interaction may offer a new approach to treating CNS edema.

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