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How our bodies clear toxins from our brains while we sleep, scientists explain

Cerebrospinal fluid might be involved in the process of cleaning out the toxins

31-Oct-2019

Key points from article :

Synchronized brain waves of non-REM sleep might prevent toxins from accumulating in a person's brain.

Study done in 2013 on mice showed that while the rodents slept, toxins like beta-amyloid got swept away.

Study participants had to lie down and fall asleep inside an MRI machine.

Participants wore an EEG cap so researchers could look at the electrical currents flowing through their brains.

During non-REM sleep, large, slow waves of cerebrospinal fluid were washing over the brain.

Study could have clinical applications for treating Alzheimer’s.

Mentioned in this article:

Click on resource name for more details.

Boston University

Private research university in Boston, Massachusetts

Laura Lewis

Laura Lewis is an assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University

Science Magazine

Academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals

Topics mentioned on this page:
Sleep, Mental Health