For thousands of years, humans have pondered the purpose of sleep. Is it for rest, memory consolidation, or cognitive processing? In the last 15 years, scientists have uncovered another crucial function: waste disposal.
The Discovery of the Glymphatic System
In 2012, neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard's lab discovered that the brain has its own cleaning process, the glymphatic system. This system clears away unhelpful proteins and metabolic byproducts, and it only activates at night.
Implications for Dementia
Since that groundbreaking discovery, researchers have learned more about what drives this system and, importantly, how it could impact dementia. Ian Sample talks to Professor Nedergaard about how she made the original discovery and how subsequent work is building a picture of sleep as anything but a quiet and inactive state.
The battle to boost our deep sleep may help stop dementia. Listen to the full podcast for more insights.
