How Your Brain Cleans Itself - And What Happens When It Goes Wrong

Episode 406

The glymphatic system is the brain’s waste disposal system - responsible for clearing out harmful toxins that build up during the day.

Now a new mouse study has connected reduced glyphatic flow to Alzheimer’s disease. And because this glymphatic system cleans the brain during sleep, it’s thought poor sleep may contribute to this reduction in brain function.

Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by science writer Michael Marshall, who explains the study in detail, what we know about the effects in humans and the steps we can take to improve our own glymphatic flow.

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