Does sleep really clean the brain? Maybe not, new paper argues A mouse study challenges popular “glymphatic” theory, but its methodology is drawing criticism 24 MAY 20244:40 PM ETBYSARA REARDON

https://www.science.org/content/article/does-sleep-really-clean-brain-maybe-not-new-paper-argues?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=29096efd03-nature-briefing-daily-20240529&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b27a691814-29096efd03-50432164 Does sleep cleanse the brain? A study seems to cast doubt on the theory that we need sleep to clean waste products from the brain. In mice, sleep apparently slows down, rather than speeds up, their brain’s ability to remove a dye. Some researchers see this as a blow to the sleep clearance theory. Critics say that the study’s method for measuring dye removal could have damaged the brain’s waste-clearance system, and is too different from previous studies to credibly challenge them. The brain could even have different ways to clear small compounds such as a dye and large ones such as the beta-amyloid protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, says brain circulation specialist Erik Bakker.