#glymphatics

Brain Drain

Scientists want to know how the glymphatic system sluices out waste from the central nervous system, acting like a drain for harmful waste. Yet watching the flow of cerebrospinal fluid around the brain is challenging. A new technique called 3D-PAULM combines an advanced form of photoacoustic imaging with ultrasound localisation microscopy to produce super resolution images of cerebrospinal fluid flow patterns. In these mouse brains (pictured from different angles on different rows) 3D-PAULM reveals high fluid flow in brighter regions, with warmer colours showing fluid close to the surface and cooler colours deeper in the tissue. While all three mice are anaesthetised, the flow is much lower in old mice (right) compared to young (left). A more intense form of anaesthesia disrupts cerebrospinal fluid flow, even in young mice (middle), suggesting 3D-PAULM could detect changes in the efficiency of the glymphatic system brought by the environment, ageing or disease.

Written by John Ankers

Image from work by Nanchao Wang and Xinyuan Yu, and colleagues

Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Published in Science Advances, June 2026

New Study Says “Glymphatics” may Influence Alzheimer’s Disease While We Sleep

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New Study Says “Glymphatics” may Influence Alzheimer’s Disease While We Sleep

Posted by Sherry C. on Thursday, August 31st, 2017

Glymphatics is a recent groundbreaking discovery that may be very useful in Alzheimer’s disease prevention and treatment.  But, just what exactly is glymphatics, and how might it impact Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment?  

What is…

Should you sleep on the right or on the left side? Researchers led by Dr. Helene Benveniste of Stony Brook University discovered that sleeping on the right side provides better drainage of toxins out of the brain, at least in rats. She presented their findings at the meeting of the American Headache Society in San Diego earlier this month.

The lymphatic system, which has been long known to exist throughout the body, was only recently discovered in the brain. It is called a glymphatic system because brain’s glial cells form this network of draining channels. According to the latest studies, our brain does housekeeping by removing waste products when we are asleep. Insomnia has been associated not only with more frequent migraine headaches, but also with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, which is thought to be at least in part due to accumulation of waste products in brain cells.

When you google sleep positions, many sites recommend sleeping on the left side, but no scientific studies have been done to see which position is more beneficial. The rat study mentioned above suggests that sleeping on either side is better than sleeping on your back or on the stomach. Hopefully, Dr. Benveniste and her colleagues will conduct studies in humans, so that we know how to sleep. For now, whatever position you sleep in, try to get enough sleep every night.

Sleep!  It's that simple.  But it's true.

Our brain cells are programmed to contract during sleep which increases the space between them.  This allows spinal fluid to move freely between the cells and flush out toxic by-products through the brain lymphatics (glymphatics).  The liver then eliminates it.

We have a cleansing system that almost stops when we are awake and starts when we sleep.  It's almost like opening and closing a faucet - it's that dramatic' - Dr. Maiken Nedergaard

This could be quite big considering we live in a society where disrupted sleep patterns are very common - shift work, late nights, over-stimulation.  It also brings up the question whether it's lack of sleep creating a build-up of toxins in the brain, or whether a defective 'clearance' system in the brain is responsible for poor sleep.  The old 'chicken-or-the-egg' scenario.

Disorders such as Alzheimer's are linked with beta amyloid protein build-up in the brain, so potentially we can slow down progress or prevent it altogether if we can remove it more efficiently.  This could also explain why people with sleep disorders are more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases.

Research done at University of Rochester using 2-photon microscopy with results published in the journal Science.

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