r/science • u/Potential_Being_7226 PhD | Psychology | Neuroscience • 13d ago

Neuroscience Boosting brain’s waste removal system improves memory in old mice | Researchers found that rejuvenating the lymphatic vessels in the brain enhanced recognition memory and restored synaptic function through an interleukin-6 (IL-6) pathway.

https://medicine.washu.edu/news/boosting-brains-waste-removal-system-improves-memory-in-old-mice/
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u/Potential_Being_7226 PhD | Psychology | Neuroscience 13d ago

Yep. Published in 2015:

https://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/fulltext/2015/07020/new_study_suggests_brain_is_connected_to_the.1.aspx

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u/BPhiloSkinner 13d ago

It all started with an experiment Dr. Louveau was conducting on mouse meninges. After developing a method to mount them on a single slide and examine them as a whole, he noticed vessel-like patterns in the distribution of immune cells on those slides. He tested them for classic markers of lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) — and there they were. Preliminary experiments suggested that a similar structure exists in humans, long unnoticed because of how closely it tracks the dural sinuses (sagittal and transverse).

TIL, and thank you.

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u/Potential_Being_7226 PhD | Psychology | Neuroscience 13d ago

You’re welcome! The story of the discovery is fascinating. It’s amazing what you can find when you look at something from a different perspective. :)

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u/dari7051 13d ago

I got to see Jeffrey Iliff of UW speak on glymphatic clearance and aquaporin-4 during a colloquium talk and have thought about it often since. The entire functional system is so, so cool. Super rich area for all sorts of lines of future work.