Year: 2018
Type: review
Abstract: The glymphatic system is a glial-dependent waste clearance pathway in the brain, in place of lymphatic vessels, dedicated to drain away soluble waste proteins and metabolic products. Specifically, the glymphatic network serves as a "front end" for waste clearance, and is connected downstream to an authentic lymphatic network, associated with dura covering the brain as well as cranial nerves and large vessels at the skull exits. The anatomical and functional interconnections between these two networks are not completely understood. Several key physiological processes have been identified that control glymphatic transport function and waste clearance from brain. In this review, we aim to provide an overview and discussion of the concept behind the glymphatic system, current evidence, and controversies, while specifically focusing on the consequences of aging and evidence of its existence in human brain. Discovering novel strategies for optimizing and maintaining efficient brain waste clearance across the lifespan may in the future prove to be important for preventing cognitive decline and sustaining healthy aging.
Source: Gerontology
DOI: 10.1159/000490349
Authors: Helene Benveniste, Xiaodan Liu, Sunil Koundal, Simon Sanggaard, Hedok Lee, Joanna Wardlaw
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: Understanding the role of the perivascular space in cerebral small vessel disease, Nitric oxide-mediated changes in glymphatic and CSF systems in aging and Alzheimer’s disease, Standards for determining the vascular contribution to neurodegeneration, Characterizing the glymphatic peri-vascular connectome and its disruption in AD, Glymphatic function in a transgenic rat model of Alzheimer's disease, Para-Vascular Basis of Small Vessel Disease
OpenAlex ID: W2851624943