Here is a brief excerpt from an especially informative article written by Melanie Haiken, a guest contributor to Forbes. To read the complete article, check out others, and obtain subscription information, please click here.

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The brain’s nocturnal cleaning service may protect it from Alzheimer’s, new research suggests.

When you sleep, your brain undergoes a mop-up process that removes waste products linked to Alzheimer’s and dementia, according to new research published yesterday in the online version of Science.

A team of researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) used high-tech imaging to look deep into the brains of mice and discovered that the brain functions differently while asleep than awake, ridding itself of accumulated proteins at a much faster rate. (In mice, that is – but researchers use mouse brains because they’re considered surprisingly similar to human brains.)

Led by Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., who co-directs the URMC’s Center for Translational Neuromedicine, the researchers discovered that a waste-draining system they call the “glymphatic system” is ten times more active during sleep than while awake. This nocturnal cleaning system removes proteins called amyloid-beta, which accumulate into the plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Nedergaard and her team coined the term “glymphatic system” last year, when they used new imaging technology known as two-photon microscopy to discover a scrubbing process taking place around brain cells, known as glial cells. The mechanism of this cleanup process is fascinating: Nedergaard and colleagues found that cerebrospinal fluid flows through the spaces between neurons, flushing proteins and other neural waste into the circulatory system and away.

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To read the complete article, please click here.

According to Melanie, “I’ve handled health coverage for Parenting magazine, WebMD, ShareCare.com, Caring.com, BabyCenter.com and for Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield. As a writer, I’ve published stories in Fitness, More, Health, Real Simple, Self, Yoga Journal, and many other magazines and websites. With many years of experience, I’ve developed a unique perspective on how to take the latest health, nutrition, travel and beauty information and translate it into valuable tips and insights.”