FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

The brain's waste-clearance system in Alzheimer's disease: breakthrough or unproven idea?

Updated

Abstract

The glymphatic hypothesis proposes that solute clearance in the brain occurs through convective transport driven by active fluid movement.

  • Solute transport in brain tissue has traditionally been viewed as primarily diffusive and nondirectional.
  • The glymphatic hypothesis suggests a model where fluid moves from para-arterial to paravenous spaces, facilitated by aquaporin-4 water channels.
  • This model could have significant implications for understanding Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
  • Recent data have raised questions about the theoretical and experimental foundations of the glymphatic transport mechanism.
  • Clarifying the mechanisms of solute clearance is essential for understanding the pathogenic processes in neurological diseases.

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Full Text

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Funding

Competing interests

This work was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH; Bethesda, MD, USA) National Eye Institute Grant EY13574, NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Grant EB00415, NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Grants DK35124, and DK72517, and a grant from the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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