Human brains have waste drainage system: Scientists

New Delhi: Running through your body is a network of channels and junctions called the lymphatic system, which drains out waste and fluids like a biological sewer, say researchers.

The research further suggests that the vessels could act as a pipeline between the brain and the immune system.

"We literally watched people`s brains drain fluid into these vessels," said Daniel Reich, senior investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the US National Institutes of Health.

"We hope that our results provide new insights to a variety of neurological disorders," Reich said.

Lymphatic vessels are part of the body`s circulatory system. In most of the body they run alongside blood vessels.

They transport lymph, a colourless fluid containing immune cells and waste, to the lymph nodes.

Blood vessels deliver white blood cells to an organ and the lymphatic system removes the cells and recirculates them through the body.

The process helps the immune system detect whether an organ is under attack from bacteria or viruses or has been injured.

Until very recently, researchers in the modern era found no evidence of a lymphatic system in the brain, leaving some puzzled about how the brain drains waste, and others to conclude that the brain is an exceptional organ.

Brain scans and autopsy studies of brains from non-human primates confirmed the results seen in humans, suggesting the lymphatic system is a common feature of mammalian brains.

(With Agency inputs)