Science: A drainage system of the brain is discovered.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Science: A drainage system of the brain is discovered.

Neuroscientists Medical Center, of the University of Rochester (USA) have discovered a drainage system by which the brain eliminates waste, according to a study published today in Science Translational Medicine, they expect to have application in Alzheimer's research and Parkinson's. 

The system acts like pipes that leverage the brain's blood vessels and seems to do the same function in the brain that the lymphatic system in the rest of the body, drain waste products. 

The lead author and co Neuromedicina Center at the University of Rochester, Maiken Nedergaard said "waste cleanup is vital to all organs and have long been questions about how the brain gets rid of their waste .

 "This work shows that the brain is being cleaned in a more organized and a much larger scale than was previously believed," Nedergaard said he expressed his wish that this finding is useful for treating brain diseases.

 " We hope that these results have implications for many conditions affecting the brain such as traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and Parkinson's disease, "he added. Nedergaard's team has called the new system" the glinfático system "because it acts similarly to the lymphatic system, but is managed by brain cells called glial cells. 

The team made the discovery in mice, whose brains are very similar to the human brain. Scientists have known that CSF has an important role in cleaning the brain tissue, charged with waste products and nutrients to the brain tissue through a process known as diffusion. 

The newly discovered system circulates through all parts of the brain more efficiently through what scientists call the global flow. "It's as if the brain has two garbage collectors - one slow and one fast we knew we just met," Nedergaard said "Given the high rate of metabolism in the brain and high sensitivity, it is not surprising that its mechanisms for disposal of waste is more specialized and extensive than previously thought, "he added.

Source: Diario ElComercio Ecuador