Glymphatic System Operates More Efficiently in the Sleeping Brain When Compared with Wakefulness

The findings below are important. And, there are additional papers discussing that lack of sleep is associated with onset of neurodegenerative disease and dementia.

“GS influx of solutes into brain parenchyma was increased ∼80% in sleep compared with wakefulness inferring that the GS system is largely nonfunctioning in wakefulness (109). Furthermore, drainage of Aβ from brain parenchyma was ∼40% more efficient during sleep or anesthesia with ketamine/xylazine (KX) when compared with wakefulness (109). A dramatic increase in the ISF volume fraction (>40–60%) between sleep and wakefulness controlled by norepinephrine (NE) was discovered and attributed to the enhanced GS function. Specifically, it was suggested that solute transport in the ISF was less restrictive in sleep when compared with wakefulness (109). Collectively, these experiments also implied that GS function and waste clearance was inefficient in wakefulness regardless of the presence of AQP4 water channels.“

Source: Journal of Applied Physiology