Accidental discovery hints at mystery structures within our brain

• Lymphatic-like structures within the brain of a healthy personShiju Gan/Harvard University Lymphatic-like structures within the brain of a healthy person Shiju Gan/Harvard University Yourbrainmay contain a hidden network of vessels that helps it dispose of metabolic waste. • If confirmed to be true in future studies, the discovery could transform our understanding of the brain and even reveal new therapies for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. • “If it’s true, this is huge,” saysPer Kristian Eideat Oslo University in Norway, who wasn’t involved in the research. • “It would represent a paradigm shift in our understanding of all neurodegenerative diseases, but also conditions like stroke and traumatic brain injury, and our normal brain function.” Read moreMassaging the neck and face may help flush waste out of the brain Read more Massaging the neck and face may help flush waste out of the brain The brain cleans itself by releasing metabolic waste into the glymphatic system, a network of channels surrounding the brain’s blood vessels that feed into thelymphatic system, the body’s drainage and filtration system. • Most imaging studies haven’t spotted lymphatic vessels within the brain, only in its protective outer layer. • But now,Chongzhao Ranat Harvard University and his colleagues may have discovered a hidden network of lymphatic-like brain vessels inside the brain that connects to the glymphatic system.

Article Summaries:

• Your brain may contain a hidden network of vessels that helps it dispose of metabolic waste. If confirmed to be true in future studies, the discovery could transform our understanding of the brain and even reveal new therapies for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. “If it’s true, this is huge,” says Per Kristian Eide at Oslo University in Norway, who wasn’t involved in the research. “It would represent a paradigm shift in our understanding of all neurodegenerative diseases, but also conditions like stroke and traumatic brain injury, and our normal brain function.” The brain cleans itself by

Sources:

• https://www.newscientist.com/article/2515542-accidental-discovery-hints-at-mystery-structures-within-our-brain/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home