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Scientists have discovered a non-invasive method to boost the brain’s natural waste disposal system. It involves the use of a device that massages and stimulates the face and neck.
The device mechanically stimulates lymphatic vessels located just beneath the skin and significantly enhances the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Cerebrospinal fluid is the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, cushioning and protecting them from sudden movements and forces.
According to scientists at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea, gentle mechanical stimulation of a previously unknown CSF drainage pathway with a special handheld device can enhance CSF clearance without drugs or surgery.
In their study, published in the journal Nature, this method can boost the brain’s natural waste drainage system and may assist in treating age-related cognitive and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
“This research not only completed the map of cerebrospinal fluid drainage pathways that clear brain waste, but also provided a new method to enhance CSF drainage from outside the brain,” said study author Koh Gou Young, Director of the IBS Center for Vascular Research. “We expect this will serve as a milestone for future research on neurodegenerative diseases including dementia.”
Neuroscience News reports…
This offers a new approach to clearing brain waste using safe, non-invasive mechanical stimulation, rather than relying on drugs or surgical interventions.
The human brain produces waste at a high rate compared to other organs, and clearing it efficiently is essential for healthy brain function. This clearance is primarily carried out by CSF, which removes harmful substances such as amyloid-β and tau proteins—key factors in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. However, as we age, this drainage slows down, contributing to cognitive decline.
“I am pleased that we found a safer and more effective method to enhance cerebrospinal fluid drainage from outside the skull,” said neurovascular physiologist Yoon Jin-Hui, one of the study’s co-authors. “We are conducting follow-up studies to investigate how this newly identified drainage pathway is altered in various brain disease patients and how this new stimulation method can be applied therapeutically.”