NIH-funded study suggests sleep clears brain of molecules
associated with neurodegeneration
A good night’s rest may literally clear the mind. Using
mice, researchers showed for the first time that the space between brain cells
may increase during sleep, allowing the brain to flush out toxins that build up
during waking hours. These results
suggest a new role for sleep in health and disease. The study was funded by the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the NIH.
“Sleep changes the cellular structure of the brain. It appears to be a completely different
state,” said Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., co-director of the Center for
Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in
New York, and a leader of the study.