Licensed clinical psychiatrist specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy. Accepting new patients.
tracking: afteryourdeathormine
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Est: June 2013.
To sleep, perchance to clean: Study reveals brain ‘takes out the trash’ while we sleep
In findings that give fresh meaning to the old adage that a good night’s sleep clears the mind, a new study shows that a recently discovered system that flushes waste from the brain is primarily active during sleep. This revelation could transform scientists’ understanding of the biological purpose of sleep and point to new ways to treat neurological disorders.
“This study shows that the brain has different functional states when asleep and when awake,” said Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., co-director of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Center for Translational Neuromedicine and lead author of the article. “In fact, the restorative nature of sleep appears to be the result of the active clearance of the by-products of neural activity that accumulate during wakefulness.”
The study, which was published today in the journal Science, reveals that the brain’s unique method of waste removal – dubbed the glymphatic system – is highly active during sleep, clearing away toxins responsible for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. Furthermore, the researchers found that during sleep the brain’s cells reduce in size, allowing waste to be removed more effectively.
The purpose of sleep is a question that has captivated both philosophers and scientists since the time of the ancient Greeks. When considered from a practical standpoint, sleep is a puzzling biological state. Practically every species of animal from the fruit fly to the right whale is known to sleep in some fashion. But this period of dormancy has significant drawbacks, particularly when predators lurk about. This has led to the observation that if sleep does not perform a vital biological function then it is perhaps one of evolution’s biggest mistakes.
While recent findings have shown that sleep can help store and consolidate memories, these benefits do not appear to outweigh the accompanying vulnerability, leading scientists to speculate that there must be a more essential function to the sleep-wake cycle.
The new findings hinge on the discovery last year by Nedergaard and her colleagues of a previously unknown system of waste removal that is unique to the brain. The system responsible for disposing cellular waste in the rest of the body, the lymphatic system, does not extend to the brain. This is because the brain maintains its own closed “ecosystem” and is protected by a complex system molecular gateways – called the blood-brain barrier – that tightly control what enters and exits the brain.
The brain’s process of clearing waste had long eluded scientists for the simple fact that it could only be observed in the living brain, something that was not possible before the advent of new imaging technologies, namely two-photon microscopy. Using these techniques, researchers were able to observe in mice – whose brains are remarkably similar to humans – what amounts to a plumbing system that piggybacks on the brain’s blood vessels and pumps cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) through the brain’s tissue, flushing waste back into the circulatory system where it eventually makes its way to the general blood circulation system and, ultimately, the liver.
The timely removal of waste from the brain is essential where the unchecked accumulation of toxic proteins such as amyloid-beta can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, almost every neurodegenerative disease is associated with the accumulation of cellular waste products.
One of the clues hinting that the glymphatic system may be more active during sleep was the fact that the amount of energy consumed by the brain does not decrease dramatically decrease while we sleep. Because pumping CSF demands a great deal of energy, researchers speculated that the process of cleaning may not be compatible with the functions the brain must perform when we are awake and actively processing information.
Through a series of experiments in mice, the researchers observed that the glymphatic system was almost 10-fold more active during sleep and that the sleeping brain removed significantly more amyloid-beta.
"The brain only has limited energy at its disposal and it appears that it must choice between two different functional states – awake and aware or asleep and cleaning up,” said Nedergaard. “You can think of it like having a house party. You can either entertain the guests or clean up the house, but you can’t really do both at the same time.”
Another startling finding was that the cells in the brain “shrink” by 60 percent during sleep. This contraction creates more space between the cells and allows CSF to wash more freely through the brain tissue. In contrast, when awake the brain’s cells are closer together, restricting the flow of CSF.
The researchers observed that a hormone called noradrenaline is less active in sleep. This neurotransmitter is known to be released in bursts when brain needs to become alert, typically in response to fear or other external stimulus. The researchers speculate that noradrenaline may serve as a “master regulator” controlling the contraction and expansion of the brain’s cells during sleep-wake cycles.
“These findings have significant implications for treating ‘dirty brain’ disease like Alzheimer’s,” said Nedergaard. “Understanding precisely how and when the brain activates the glymphatic system and clears waste is a critical first step in efforts to potentially modulate this system and make it work more efficiently.”
Image1: Scientists watched dye flow through the brain of a sleeping mouse. Credit: Courtesy of Nedergaard Lab, University of Rochester Medical Center.
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themedicalstate posted this A truly well-tailored person suit must be worn with panache.
Expedit esse deos, et, ut expedit, esse putemus.
Nomenque erit indelebile nostrum.
Nec species sua cuique manet, rerumque novatrix ex aliis alias reparat natura figuras: nec perit in toto quicquam, mihi credite, mundo, sed variat faciemque novat, nascique vocatur incipere esse aliud, quam quod fuit ante, morique desinere illud idem. cum sint huc forsitan illa, haec translata illuc, summa tamen omnia constant.
The default is NBC canon; fleshing out the details will take place, as needed, in each individual thread. Hannibal is fluid, and his concept of truth & history is abstract, to say the least. No truth is immutable. No lie is wholly without backing. I tend to use Harris for more thorough fleshing out, but overlay NBC canon where Harris was just too cracky.
There was a cliff; there was a fall. And where, indeed, did the physical remnants drift to?
One could argue about Hannibal's psychology; he certainly expresses traits common to psychopathy and sociopathy (both loaded terms with their own historical biases) but does not neatly fit into any category. He is articulate, polite, charming, and disarming. A grudge will not be forgotten.
I am not a medical professional. I am not certified to offer medical, psychiatric, or personal advice in any way. This is a roleplay blog—based off of a manipulative, abusive, charming character whom I do not own or in any way represent.
Do not use any of Dr Lecter’s advice. By submitting any ask, you are actively accepting the fact that this is purely entertainment and not any substitution for medical care. By submitting an ask, you are also accepting that I am not responsible for what you choose to do with the completely fictitious content which I produce.
To be very blunt: I don’t know what I’m doing. You should not expect me to. I don’t want to be sued because someone took a fictional character’s fictional advice. (Would you take the advice of a stranger at the bus stop? Your answer should be no, and you should treat this no differently.)
That being said, if you want someone to talk to, I can always offer a shoulder.
You can find psychiatric, survivor, and crisis resources in the Resources tab. Please use them.
This blog is private and 21+. My expectation is that you’re the legal age of majority for your location. And that you don’t actually kill people.
I will only be following back blogs that I’m actively playing with on this account. I will not follow you back if you do not list your age somewhere on your blog; I will not play with you if you are not at least 18 years old, regardless of thread content or geographical location.
I don’t believe in ‘exclusivity’ and find it an abhorrent, exclusionary practice.
The more established and fleshed-out your character, the more likely I am to want to play. This goes across the board for canonical characters and OCs. Grammatically-aware para/paragraph-style (third-person prose) preferred. I get rankled easily by consistent errors and/or lack of proofreading.
There is a very large difference between creative grammar/word choice/formatting and purple prose. 'Cerulean orbits' or other such nonsense? That's not creative; it makes no linguistic sense whatsoever. Bend grammar; don't flay the languague, ffs.
I don’t automatically post new follower starters, nor do I respond to unnegotiated starters from others, mutuals or otherwise. Drop me an OOC message or ask to negotiate play. Do feel free to send in memes, and certainly come talk to me OOC in general.
If you find that replying to a thread is becoming a chore/you’re not looking forward to it/you’re no longer feeling it, please let me know. I’m more than happy to drop a thread, start something completely new, put something on hiatus, etc. I just ask for the same courtesy in return.
If you’re just not feeling RP with me in general, that’s really ok. I promise I won’t get upset or turn you into salami. Just let me know so neither of us feels awkward about an abandoned thread sitting there. I’m drama-free, so please just communicate with me. Communication is awesome.
Relationships are not presumed, regardless of canon, without previous discussion.
Hannibal is not a woobie. He is not a sweet, misunderstood gentleman who just ‘happens’ to have a penchant for eating people whom he finds crass. Hannibal is a self-aware sociopath*; a calculating, cold-blooded monster hiding in a very fine suit. Please do not be surprised when he acts accordingly.
Your character has high odds of being maimed, murdered, and/or consumed.
On various spectra, I would categorise Hannibal as grey-panromantic (generally presenting as aromantic) and grey-pansexual (presenting as asexual). The vast majority of his physical sexuality is a power play; getting under his skin to something less constructed is extremely unlikely.
It should go without saying that this entire show is a giant trigger & ergo this blog will contain consistently mature/disturbing fictional content. Gore, NSFW images, and NSFW threads are not usually behind readmores. I will not make a habit of tagging gore, murder, cannibalism, etc, since doing so would be redundant.
However, if you would like a specific trigger tagged or put behind a readmore, please let me know. I’m more than happy to oblige.
And finally:
disclaimer: Hannibal Lecter is not my creative property, and I own nothing here except my own prose. This is all in good fun; I thank you in advance for not suing me.
Pending.
Pending.
Pending.
Pending.