To sleep, perchance to clean? Humans spend a third of their lives unconscious, but scientists are still not sure why, although research published today suggests one of the reasons could be because it helps our brain’s waste disposal system.
The brain produces toxins called beta-amyloid. Responsible for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, these amino acids need to be removed to ensure the brain keeps working.
Scientists recently discovered that these are washed out through the circulation of cerebral-spinal fluid. Now a study in mice has found that this mechanism is ten times more active during sleep, when cells contract to allow