News Neuroscience

Scientists triggered the flow of spinal fluid in the awake brain

The technique could help flush out harmful biological waste

A MRI image of a brain shows regions of cerebrospinal fluid in blue.

This MRI image of a brain shows regions of cerebrospinal fluid in blue.

S.D. Williams (CC-BY 4.0)

By Simon Makin

Waves of cerebrospinal fluid which normally wash over brains during sleep can be made to pulse in the brains of people who are wide awake, a new study finds.

The clear fluid may flush out harmful waste, such as the sticky proteins that accumulate in Alzheimer’s disease (SN: 7/15/18). So being able to control the fluid’s flow in the brain could possibly one day have implications for treating certain brain disorders.