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The Glymphatic System: A Beginner’s Guide

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TLDR
The glymphatic system is a recently discovered macroscopic waste clearance system that utilizes a unique system of perivascular tunnels, formed by astroglial cells, to promote efficient elimination of soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system.
Abstract
The glymphatic system is a recently discovered macroscopic waste clearance system that utilizes a unique system of perivascular tunnels, formed by astroglial cells, to promote efficient elimination of soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system. Besides waste elimination, the glymphatic system also facilitates brain-wide distribution of several compounds, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, growth factors, and neuromodulators. Intriguingly, the glymphatic system function mainly during sleep and is largely disengaged during wakefulness. The biological need for sleep across all species may therefore reflect that the brain must enter a state of activity that enables elimination of potentially neurotoxic waste products, including β-amyloid. Since the concept of the glymphatic system is relatively new, we will here review its basic structural elements, organization, regulation, and functions. We will also discuss recent studies indicating that glymphatic function is suppressed in various diseases and that failure of glymphatic function in turn might contribute to pathology in neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injury and stroke.

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Phase contrast MRI measurements of net cerebrospinal fluid flow through the cerebral aqueduct are confounded by respiration

TL;DR: Net cerebrospinal fluid flow through the cerebral aqueduct may serve as a marker of CSF production in the lateral ventricles, and changes that occur with aging and in disease.
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Impact of time-of-day on diffusivity measures of brain tissue derived from diffusion tensor imaging

TL;DR: The results show that Trace or mean diffusivity, as measured using the conventional monoexponential tensor model, tends to increase systematically from morning to afternoon scans, which provides important insight into the likely physiological origins of diurnal fluctuations in MRI measurements of structural properties of the brain.
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Glymphatic System as a Gateway to Connect Neurodegeneration From Periphery to CNS

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss recent findings and concepts on nervous lymphatic drainage and blood-brain barrier (BBB) in an attempt to understand how peripheral pathological conditions may be detrimental to the CNS, paving the way to neurodegeneration.
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Low-grade inflammation in the relationship between sleep disruption, dysfunctional adiposity, and cognitive decline in aging

TL;DR: Evidence is discussed here evidence supporting the potential mediating role of chronic low-grade systemic inflammation in the complex relationship between impaired sleep, dysfunctional adiposity, and cognitive decline through the common pathway of neuroinflammation.
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Challenges and Opportunities of Deferoxamine Delivery for Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

TL;DR: DFO is a strong drug candidate for managing neurodegeneration in the aging population, but before it can be routinely implemented as a therapeutic agent, dosing regimens must be standardized and brain DFO content following drug administration must be understood and controlled via novel formulations.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Gene dose of apolipoprotein E type 4 allele and the risk of Alzheimer's disease in late onset families

TL;DR: The APOE-epsilon 4 allele is associated with the common late onset familial and sporadic forms of Alzheimer9s disease (AD) in 42 families with late onset AD.
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Apolipoprotein E: high-avidity binding to beta-amyloid and increased frequency of type 4 allele in late-onset familial Alzheimer disease.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that there was a highly significant association of apolipoprotein E type 4 allele (APOE-epsilon 4) and late-onset familial Alzheimer disease.
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A paravascular pathway facilitates CSF flow through the brain parenchyma and the clearance of interstitial solutes, including amyloid β.

TL;DR: An anatomically distinct clearing system in the brain that serves a lymphatic-like function is described and may have relevance for understanding or treating neurodegenerative diseases that involve the mis-accumulation of soluble proteins, such as amyloid β in Alzheimer's disease.
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Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance From the Adult Brain

TL;DR: It is reported that sleep has a critical function in ensuring metabolic homeostasis and convective fluxes of interstitial fluid increased the rate of β-amyloid clearance during sleep, suggesting the restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system.
Journal ArticleDOI

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TL;DR: There is increased understanding of the pathways involved in protein aggregation, and some recent clues have emerged as to the molecular mechanisms of cellular toxicity, leading to approaches toward rational therapeutics.
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Trending Questions (3)
What is the glymphatic system?

The glymphatic system is a brain waste clearance system utilizing perivascular tunnels to eliminate toxins and distribute essential compounds, mainly active during sleep, potentially linked to neurodegenerative diseases.

The glymphatic system?

The glymphatic system is a recently discovered waste clearance system in the central nervous system that eliminates soluble proteins and metabolites. It also facilitates the distribution of various compounds and functions mainly during sleep.

What is the glymphatic system?

The glymphatic system is a waste clearance system in the central nervous system that eliminates soluble proteins and metabolites. It also distributes various compounds and functions mainly during sleep.