Many cells, including neuronal and glial progenitor cells, stem cells and microglial cells, have the capacity to move through the extracellular spaces of the developing and mature brain. This is particularly pronounced in astrocyte-derived tumors, gliomas, which diffusely infiltrate the normal brain. Although a significant body of literature exists regarding signals that are involved in the guidance of cells and their processes, little attention has been paid to cell-shape and cell-volume changes of migratory cells. However, extracellular spaces in the brain are very narrow and represent a major obstacle that requires cells to dynamically regulate their volume. Recent studies in glioma cells show that this involves the secretion of Cl channels impairs their ability to migrate and limits tumor progression in experimental tumor models. One Cl and K+ channels involved in cell shrinkage localize to lipid-raft domains on the invadipodia of glioma cells and that their presence might be regulated by trafficking of these proteins in and out of lipid rafts.