Mesmerising Video Shows Waves of Spinal Fluid Washing Over The Brain During Sleep

[Judi Lynn]

DAVID NIELD 11 NOV 2019

We are quite literally having our brains washed every night. Neuroscientists have now produced a fascinating video that shows this nocturnal pulsing process in action.

Waves of watery cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow over our brains, this latest study shows, pulsing rhythmically while we're snoozing, and at the same time clearing out any toxins that shouldn't be building up inside our heads.

The team behind these new insights says that the findings could help in the study of various neurological and psychological disorders, especially those associated with disrupted sleep patterns.

"We've known for a while that there are these electrical waves of activity in the neurons," says neuroscientist Laura Lewis from Boston University. "But before now, we didn't realise that there are actually waves in the CSF, too."

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/mesmerising-video-shows-waves-of-spinal-fluid-washing-over-the-brain-during-sleep?perpetual=yes&limitstart=1

[tblue37]

1. K&R. nt

[patricia92243]

2. Wow! Explains why just a day or so without sleep makes a person have all

kinds of problems. Thanks for posting this.

[lastlib]

4. Working on my honors thesis in college, I once went 70 hours without sleep.

At that point, I started having hallucinations of a sort, and knew then I HAD to get sleep. I have no doubt there is a connection between sleep deprivation and hallucinations of that sort, and it's certainly possible that phenomenon has a tie-in to it.

[LiberalLoner]

3. Wow! I wonder what implications this might have for neurological diseases

Like MS? So fascinating, thanks for posting this!

[JudyM]

5. Lack of sleep appears to be causally associated with dementia...

[eppur_se_muova]

6. And every time they do, I have to get up and go to the bathroom. nt