Brain lymphatic drainage system in fetus and newborn: Birth of a new era of exploration

A peculiar brain lymphatic drainage system has been recently fully recognized in animals and humans. It comprises different draining pathways, including the lymphatic system, the perivascular drainage pathway, and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage routes. Although scant data are available about its function during the neonatal period, it may play a role in neonatal brain diseases. In this review, we focus on the actual knowledge of brain lymphatic drainage system, and we hypothesize potential implications of its impairment and dysfunction in major neonatal neurological diseases.