WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - For years, it was believed that one of the key reasons why we sleep is to allow the brain to clear toxins, primarily through the glymphatic system. However, previous studies were inconclusive, relying on indirect methods to assess fluid flow in the brain.
Recently, a study led by scientists at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London challenged this notion by using a fluorescent dye to observe toxin clearance in mouse brains directly.
The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, revealed a significant reduction in toxin clearance during sleep and anesthesia. The clearance of the dye decreased by approximately 30% in sleeping mice and 50% in anesthetized mice compared to awake mice.
Professor Nick Franks, Professor of Biophysics and Anesthetics at Imperial College London, and co-lead of the study, expressed surprise at the results, saying, 'The field has been so focused on the clearance idea as one of the key reasons why we sleep, that we were very surprised to observe the opposite in our results. We found that the rate of clearance of dye from the brain was significantly reduced in animals that were asleep, or under anesthetic. As yet, we do not know what it is about these states that slows down the removal of molecules from the brain. The next step in our research will be to try to understand why this occurs.'
Despite the findings, Professor Bill Wisden, another study co-lead, emphasized the importance of sleep, suggesting that good sleep may reduce dementia risk. He said, 'Disrupted sleep is a common symptom experienced by people living with dementia. However, we still do not know if this is a consequence or a driving factor in the disease progression. It may well be that having good sleep does help to reduce dementia risk for reasons other than clearing toxins.'
The research also emphasized the brain's effective elimination of toxins while awake, emphasizing the advantages of being active and attentive. As per the scientists, the most recent discoveries are unexpected, and additional research is necessary to grasp precisely the occurrences and reasons behind them.
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2024 AFX News
