Scientists focus on glymphatic system and its role in sleep, memory consolidation, degenerative illnesses

When we think of brains, we tend to think of neurons. It’s right there in our word for the study of the brain: neuroscience. But when it comes to certain mysteries of the brain—for example, the role of sleep in memory consolidation, or the genesis of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and degenerative neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease—the answers we seek may lie elsewhere: the glymphatic system.