Sleep May Help Move Harmful Molecules From The Brain

Andrew Robbertz

Author: Christopher Thomas
Published: October 17, 2013
Source: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2013/ninds-17.htm

Summary:
In a study done my the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Researchers made discoveries on the importance of sleep in cleaning the brain. The researchers injected a dye into the brain to see the flow of fluid through the brain.They found that during sleep, there is a 60% increase in interstitial fluid in the brain during sleep. They noticed a greater exchange of all molecules throughout the brain and a great decrease of amyloid B, which can have neurotoxic effects. This led them to the conclusion that your brain cells actually change in size between when you are awake, and when you are asleep. Previous studies have shown that some neurodegenerative diseases are caused by the accumulation of toxic molecules between brain cells. The researchers then injected another toxin into the mice brains both while asleep and while awake to see how quickly they were cleared from the brain. It disappeared faster in the brains of the mice that were asleep, further confirming that sleep continuously clears toxic chemicals from the brain.

Connection:
The study fully confirmed that sleep is directly connected to the functionality of the glymphatic system that  clears the waste in your central nervous system. This in important because the brain and spinal cord lack any lymphatic tissue. Without any lymphatic tissue, the body cannot filter any matter flowing through there. Having these neurotoxins in your brain slows your ability to control ion concentrations across cellular membranes, diminishing the speed of your nerves. Knowing that the function of the glymphatic system is linked to the shrinking of brain cells while sleeping can help scientists create new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.