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glymphatic system

·June 5, 2025·5 min read

Facial Stimulation Clears Brain Waste and Boosts Aging Minds

Researchers have discovered a safe, non-invasive way to enhance the brain’s waste clearance system by mechanically stimulating lymphatic vessels just beneath the facial skin. This gentle technique significantly improves cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage—a critical function that declines with age and contributes to cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 29, 2025·5 min read

Wearable Device Tracks Brain Waste System

A new wearable device has been developed to noninvasively monitor the brain’s glymphatic system, which helps clear waste and may play a role in neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s. Traditionally only measurable via MRI, researchers can now observe this system throughout different sleep stages using a head cap embedded with electrodes. The device revealed that glymphatic activity doesn’t simply switch on during sleep and off when awake, but instead builds progressively during sleep and decreases gradually upon waking. This finding offers insights into how sleep quality impacts brain health and could help identify individuals at risk for neurodegenerative diseases.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 21, 2025·6 min read

Targeting Brain’s Drainage Pathways Rejuvenates Memory

Rejuvenating the brain's lymphatic vessels can enhance memory in aging mice by improving the removal of waste products from the brain. This research suggests that targeting the meningeal lymphatics—vessels outside the brain—could be a novel approach to treating age-related cognitive decline without directly crossing the blood-brain barrier.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 11, 2025·4 min read

Poor Sleep Linked to Brain’s Waste-Removal Breakdown

A new study reveals that poor sleep in older adults disrupts the brain’s glymphatic system, responsible for clearing harmful waste and toxins. Researchers found that compromised sleep quality leads to dysfunction in this crucial system, potentially increasing risks for memory decline and cognitive impairments.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·January 7, 2025·7 min read

New Biomarker Links Brain Waste Clearance to Vascular Dementia

A new study has identified a biomarker, DTI-ALPS, which connects glymphatic system dysfunction to vascular dementia. By analyzing over 3,750 participants, researchers found that lower DTI-ALPS scores correlated with worse executive function, highlighting the glymphatic system's role in clearing brain waste.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 7, 2024·6 min read

Imaging Study Reveals Brain’s Waste-Clearing Pathways

In a breakthrough study, researchers have imaged a network of pathways in the human brain believed to clear waste proteins that can lead to Alzheimer’s and dementia. Using advanced MRI techniques, they revealed perivascular channels that guide cerebrospinal fluid through the brain, providing strong evidence of the glymphatic system's role in waste removal.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 13, 2024·4 min read

Sleep May Not Aid Brain Detox

A new study challenges the prevailing theory that sleep aids in the detoxification of the brain. Researchers found that the brain's toxin clearance is significantly reduced during sleep and even more so under anesthesia, as shown by the slower movement and clearance of a fluorescent dye in the brains of mice.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·September 7, 2023·4 min read

Glymphatic System Key to Parkinson’s Protein Spread and Aggregation

Researchers shed light on the puzzle of Parkinson’s disease progression. They discovered that a mutated version of the α-synuclein protein moves through the brain's lymphatic system, known as the glymphatic system, before aggregating.

This shows the outline of a head and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 16, 2023·5 min read

Ultrasound Technique Boosts Brain’s Waste Disposal, Aiding Disease Research

Researchers developed a noninvasive, nonpharmaceutical method to enhance the glymphatic transport in the brain. The technique, known as focused ultrasound combined with circulating microbubbles (FUSMB), amplifies the effects of ultrasound waves on blood vessels, facilitating the removal of metabolic waste and distribution of nutrients.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·December 19, 2022·6 min read

How the Human Brain Drains Fluid

A new study of the recently discovered brain's lymphatic system may shed new light on various brain diseases and how fluid drainage may play a role.

This shows a 3d map of the brain's drainage system

Featured Neuroscience

·August 2, 2022·3 min read

The Brain’s Drainage System in 3D

The CSF drainage pathways are similar between mice and humans, researchers discovered.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 27, 2022·4 min read

On Your Back, Side, or Face-Down? How We Sleep May Trigger or Protect Our Brain From Diseases Like ALS

A new mouse study reveals our sleep position may influence the glymphatic system and could increase the risk of developing ALS or other neurodegenerative diseases.