====== Glymphatic system ======

Like all biological processes, activity in the body's nervous system produces chemical waste products which need to be removed. It's been known for many years that the waste (proteins etc.) from the Central Nervous System (CNS) is removed and processed by the Lymphatic System and the CerebroSpinal Fluid. The question arises ; how does the main component of the CNS - the brain - get rid of its waste products?

It was only in 2012 that the major 'drainage system' for the brain - now called the //Glymphatic System// - was discovered. And in 2014, a network of fluid-carrying tubes called the meningeal lymphatic vessels, at the base of the outer brain membrane, were found to be a fundamental part of the system.

>Recent work has shown that meningeal lymphatic vessels (mLVs), mainly in the dorsal part of the skull, are involved in the clearance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), __but the precise route of CSF drainage is still unknown.__\\ \\ Source :[[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1419-5|Nature, volume 572, pages 62–66 ]]

Many questions remain regarding the modes of operation of the system. For example, it was initially thought that the system mainly operates at night, during [[content:life_sciences:human_body:sleep|sleep]]. But this has now been called into question.([[https://www.newscientist.com/article/2367055-the-brain-may-flush-out-its-waste-products-after-a-mental-workout/|ref.]]). In addition, there may be other as yet undiscovered pathways for drainage.

Many research groups are currently investigating the system. It's possible that  faulty Glymphatic drainage may cause a build up of toxic substances in the brain, and possibly lead to (or exacerbate) [[content:medicine:diseases:m-q:motor_neurone_disease]], [[content:medicine:diseases:a-f:alzheimers]], [[content:medicine:diseases:m-q:parkinsons]] , [[content:medicine:diseases:g-l:huntington_disease]] and similar problems.