Our brains work hard every day, and like any busy machine, they produce waste. This waste includes harmful proteins that need to be removed so the brain stays healthy.
In younger people, the brain has a special cleaning system that clears out this waste efficiently. But as we grow older, this cleaning system slows down, and that may lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Researchers have recently discovered a way to help aging brains clean themselves again. This exciting study was done by scientists at the University of Rochester and published in the journal Nature Aging.
The brain uses something called the glymphatic system to wash away waste. This system moves a clear liquid, known as cerebrospinal fluid (or CSF), through the brain to flush out extra proteins and other waste.
In young and healthy brains, this system works very well. But in older brains, it becomes weaker and slower. As a result, dangerous proteins, like beta-amyloid and alpha-synuclein, can build up and may cause brain diseases.
To remove the waste from the body, the dirty CSF must first leave the brain and enter another system called the lymphatic system. This is like the body’s second circulatory system, and it helps remove waste. The researchers found that about half of the brain’s waste leaves through very tiny tubes in the neck, called lymph vessels.
These lymph vessels have special small pumps inside them. These pumps are made of muscle and push the waste fluid in one direction, using valves that stop it from going backwards.
But in older mice, the scientists noticed that these pumps worked less often, and the valves began to fail. This meant that waste from the brain was not being pushed out properly. In fact, the flow of waste from the brain was 63% slower in older mice.
The researchers wondered if they could fix this problem. They tested a drug called prostaglandin F2α. This drug is already used in medicine to help muscles contract, like during childbirth. Since the pumps in the lymph vessels are also made of muscle, the scientists thought this drug might help.
And it did. When they used the drug on the neck lymph vessels of older mice, the tiny pumps started working more often, and the waste flowed out of the brain faster. In fact, the waste-clearing system started working like it did in younger mice.
Dr. Douglas Kelley, one of the scientists, said that because these neck vessels are close to the skin, it might be possible to treat them easily in people one day. This could become part of a new way to help older adults keep their brains healthy.
This discovery is important because it shows that a drug we already use could be helpful in treating or even preventing brain diseases. By helping the brain clear out its waste, we may be able to lower the risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This could mean better brain health and a better life for many older people in the future.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the protective power of dietary antioxidants against Alzheimer’s, and eating habits linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
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