Scientists have recently discovered a system used by the body that drains waste products from the brain in a similar way in which the lymphatic system works for the rest of the body.
The newly discovered system is said to be 'a kind of shadow plumbing system which piggyback on the brains blood vessels'. Dr Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester Medical Centre, senior author of the paper, said "This work shows that the brain is cleansing itself in a more organized way and on a much larger scale than has been realized previously. We’re hopeful that these findings have implications for many conditions that involve the brain, such as traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease."
The newly discovered system has been called the glymphatic system, it has been described as being like a layer of piping that surrounds the brain’s existing blood vessels. The team found that glial cells called astrocytes use projections known as “end feet” to form a network of conduits around the outsides of arteries and veins inside the brain – similar to the way a canopy of tree branches along a well-wooded street might create a sort of channel above the roadway.
The newly discovered system is said to be 'a kind of shadow plumbing system which piggyback on the brains blood vessels'. Dr Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester Medical Centre, senior author of the paper, said "This work shows that the brain is cleansing itself in a more organized way and on a much larger scale than has been realized previously. We’re hopeful that these findings have implications for many conditions that involve the brain, such as traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease."
The newly discovered system has been called the glymphatic system, it has been described as being like a layer of piping that surrounds the brain’s existing blood vessels. The team found that glial cells called astrocytes use projections known as “end feet” to form a network of conduits around the outsides of arteries and veins inside the brain – similar to the way a canopy of tree branches along a well-wooded street might create a sort of channel above the roadway.
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Those of you reading this who have an interest in more holistic sciences such as Yoga, Qi-gong, Shiatsu, Gongfu, etc., might start to question if this could be similar to the pathways we are already taught about , qi(chi), prana, ki, etc.,. For many years Western Medical Science has tried to deny any such systems could be possible because if you can't see them, then they can't be there. Here we seem to have found evidence of just such a system. The researchers also go on to explain the reason why they couldn't find it before is that it only works while the subject is using it, the only way of measuring it is through recent technology.
Jefferey Illiff, a research assistant professor, working with Dr. Nedergaard, said “If the glymphatic system fails to cleanse the brain as it is meant to, either as a consequence of normal aging, or in response to brain injury, waste may begin to accumulate in the brain. This may be what is happening with amyloid deposits in Alzheimer’s disease,” said Iliff. “Perhaps increasing the activity of the glymphatic system might help prevent amyloid deposition from building up or could offer a new way to clean out buildups of the material in established Alzheimer’s disease."
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