glymphatic system: what is it?

glymphatic system what is it

Stemming from interactions discovered in 2012, the glymphatic system fills theoretical gaps in how the clearance of metabolic wastes from the brain parenchyma occurs.

the parenchyma brain is devoid of lymphatic system and the blood brain barrier prevent it immune system peripheral to work within the brain. Therefore, we are entitled to wonder how the clearance of waste metabolism is carried out in this region of the brain.

An experiment conducted in 2012 demonstrated that parenchymal clearance was partly managed by astrocytes – glial cells – in communication with the lymphatic system of the meninges (which includes the liquid cerebrospinal), hence the proposed name: glymphatic system.

The glylmphatic system: a new entity to account for metabolic clearance in the brain

In sum, the glymphatic system involves the cerebral perivascular spaces and astrocytes which drain interstitial fluids from and to the cerebrospinal fluid to ensure the clearance of metabolic wastes produced within the cerebral parenchyma. Studies are in progress to determine more specifically its anatomy, its physiological role in cerebral homeostasis or even methods and tools to detect its transport activity within the organism.

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