Brainwashing is real—but it’s not what you think

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In the news

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If you are of a certain age, the very term "brain waste" may bring to mind characters like the high school surfer stoner Jeff Spicoli played by Sean Penn in the early '80s classic movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. But set that image aside, dude-there's a serious point to be made.

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The human brain contains about 170 billion cells. As those cells go about their business, they produce waste. "To stay healthy," this report notes, "the brain needs to wash away all that debris."

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How the brain removes this effluent, and where it goes, has long puzzled science-but a trio of new research papers may provide answers. Moreover, those answers may eventually help researchers understand and fight a wide range of brain disorders.

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The discovery itself is fascinating. In most mammals' bodies, it's the lymphatic system that maintains fluid levels and filters waste products. But the brain lacks the lymphatic system's tiny waste-removal tubes (think of them as a sewer system if you like). Hence the puzzlement over how brain waste is processed.

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Now, multiple groups of researchers have identified what they call the "glymphatic system," which "manages cerebrospinal fluid flow through the brain" and handles waste removal. As it turns out, the slow electrical waves that move through the brain during sleep act as a signal that ingeniously transforms neurons into pumps that, in turn, push healthy fluids into the brain-and waste products from it.

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The Cognizant take

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One of the exciting takeaways from this research is that it may lead to new ways to fight brain disorders. Through experimentations with mice that have a form of Alzheimer's, an MIT-based team devised a way to increase fluid flow to and from the brain. The latter fluid was shown to carry amyloid-a substance that builds up in the brains of human Alzheimer's patients.

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Much confirmation and refinement remains to be done (anatomical differences between rodents and humans "are pretty substantial," as one researcher pointed out). But when taken together, the studies suggest that keeping the brain's waste-clearance system healthy demands two interrelated steps: pushing waste into the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain, and then moving it into the lymphatic system-and out of the body.

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In addition to Alzheimer's, other disorders such as Parkinson's, headaches and even depression may be linked to malfunctioning brain-waste removal. So, the identification of the glymphatic system and ways to improve its function could benefit millions.

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In the news

If you are of a certain age, the very term "brain waste" may bring to mind characters like the high school surfer stoner Jeff Spicoli played by Sean Penn in the early '80s classic movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. But set that image aside, dude-there's a serious point to be made.

The human brain contains about 170 billion cells. As those cells go about their business, they produce waste. "To stay healthy," this report notes, "the brain needs to wash away all that debris."

How the brain removes this effluent, and where it goes, has long puzzled science-but a trio of new research papers may provide answers. Moreover, those answers may eventually help researchers understand and fight a wide range of brain disorders.

The discovery itself is fascinating. In most mammals' bodies, it's the lymphatic system that maintains fluid levels and filters waste products. But the brain lacks the lymphatic system's tiny waste-removal tubes (think of them as a sewer system if you like). Hence the puzzlement over how brain waste is processed.

Now, multiple groups of researchers have identified what they call the "glymphatic system," which "manages cerebrospinal fluid flow through the brain" and handles waste removal. As it turns out, the slow electrical waves that move through the brain during sleep act as a signal that ingeniously transforms neurons into pumps that, in turn, push healthy fluids into the brain-and waste products from it.

The Cognizant take

One of the exciting takeaways from this research is that it may lead to new ways to fight brain disorders. Through experimentations with mice that have a form of Alzheimer's, an MIT-based team devised a way to increase fluid flow to and from the brain. The latter fluid was shown to carry amyloid-a substance that builds up in the brains of human Alzheimer's patients.

Much confirmation and refinement remains to be done (anatomical differences between rodents and humans "are pretty substantial," as one researcher pointed out). But when taken together, the studies suggest that keeping the brain's waste-clearance system healthy demands two interrelated steps: pushing waste into the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain, and then moving it into the lymphatic system-and out of the body.

In addition to Alzheimer's, other disorders such as Parkinson's, headaches and even depression may be linked to malfunctioning brain-waste removal. So, the identification of the glymphatic system and ways to improve its function could benefit millions.