Sleeping brain’s waste-disposal system explored in podcast
7 reported
A recent podcast episode examines the science of the sleeping brain, focusing on a discovery made in 2012. Neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard’s lab found that the brain has its own cleaning process, called the glymphatic system, which clears away unhelpful proteins and metabolic byproducts. This system only switches on at night. Since that discovery, researchers have learned more about what drives this system and how it could be impacting dementia. The podcast features an interview with Prof Nedergaard about her original discovery and subsequent work. The episode describes sleep as anything but a quiet and inactive state.
What’s reported
Humans have wondered why we sleep for thousands of years.
Possible purposes of sleep include rest, relaxation, memory consolidation, or cognitive processing.
In the last 15 years, scientists discovered waste disposal as another possible explanation for sleep.
In 2012, neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard’s lab discovered the glymphatic system, the brain’s cleaning process.
The glymphatic system clears unhelpful proteins and metabolic byproducts and only switches on at night.
Subsequent research has explored what drives this system and how it could impact dementia.
The podcast episode features an interview with Prof Nedergaard.
Key figures
Maiken Nedergaard, neuroscientist, professor
Ian Sample, interviewer
Sources: The Guardian
