r/science • u/Wagamaga • Oct 08 '24

Neuroscience Brain’s waste-clearance pathways revealed for the first time. Wastes include proteins such as amyloid and tau, which have been shown to form clumps and tangles in brain images of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

https://news.ohsu.edu/2024/10/07/brains-waste-clearance-pathways-revealed-for-the-first-time
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u/73Rose Oct 08 '24

so how is it activated/inhibited?

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u/okverymuch Oct 08 '24

Unclear, it should always be working, but we know that’s not true for other body channels, like blood vessels and lymphatics. This has not proven that metabolic protein waste goes through this path. So we don’t know if it’s actually relevant to those neurodegenerative diseases. All they’ve shown is that CSF drainage has a more complex system. This isn’t groundbreaking in and of itself.