During sleep, slow electrical waves push waste products from deep within the brain
There are about 170 billion cells in the brain, and as they go about their normal business, they produce a lot of waste. To stay healthy, the brain needs to flush out all that junk. But how exactly it does this has remained a mystery. Now, two teams of scientists have published three papers detailing the brain’s waste-disposal system. Their insights could help researchers better understand, treat, and perhaps prevent a wide range of brain disorders.
Reelin and Dopamine Are Essential Components for Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease
A protein called Reelin keeps appearing in the brain that fights aging and Alzheimer’s disease. A protein that helps shape the brain early in life also appears to protect the organ from Alzheimer’s and other diseases associated with aging. Japanese and European neuroscientists have found that injecting large amounts of dopamine into the brains of mice predisposed to developing Alzheimer’s leads to accelerated production of an enzyme responsible for breaking down molecules of the pathogenic protein beta-amyloid.
Psilocybin may desynchronize networks in the brain, potentially increasing its plasticity
The study provides a detailed look at how drugs containing psilocybin temporarily enhance the brain’s ability to adapt and change, a capacity known as plasticity. According to Dr. Joshua Siegel, a researcher at the University of Washington and the study’s lead author, disruptions in brain networks are responsible for the plastic effects of psychedelics.