Title : Did we find the missing link in the brain? The glymphatic system as an answer to unsolved questions
Abstract:
The removal of “waste” and dead cells is usually being done by the lymphatic system, a vessel system running alongside the blood vessels. It has always been a mystery how the brain removes waste and fights infections as there was no evidence for a lymphatic system. The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from injury and prevents the entry of harmful substances. However the semipermeable wall, through endothelial tight junctions, is not perfect and it does not explain how waste products are being removed. Recent years, a network of perivascular spaces all over the brain has been discovered, which supports the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exchange with interstitial fluid and clearing interstitial solute to the CSF. This network, functioning like a lymphatic system, but build up from glial cells is called the glymphatic system. In my presentation I will explain the anatomical structure of the glymphatic system, how it was discovered, but most importantly how it helps in explaining the pathological features of several degenerative diseases, but also in brain trauma and its potential therapeutical consequences. As an example in Alzheimer’s disease the accumulation of amyloid-beta plaques as the cause of the disease is well known, but the underlying pathological system is yet to be discovered. Also in the traumatic brain the glymphatic system helps us to better understand what exactly happens in short and long term. An important factor for a healthy brain is sleep. This state of reduced responsiveness has a vital repair function, is required for memory formation and brain plasticity... Can we fight neurodegenerative disease through sleeping? What is the difference between clean sleeping en sleeping (the brain) clean. Perhaps the glymphatic pathway has a suitable answer, but much work still has to be done.
