A peek inside human brain shows a way it cleans out waste

WASHINGTON (AP) — A unique peek inside the human brain may help explain how it clears away waste like the kind that can build up and lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain cells use a lot of nutrients which means they make a lot of waste. Scientists have long thought the brain has special plumbing to flush out cellular trash, especially during sleep – they could see it happening in mice. But there was only circumstantial evidence of a similar system in people.

Now researchers have finally spotted that network of tiny waste-clearing channels in the brains of living people, thanks to a special kind of imaging.

“I was skeptical,” said Dr. Juan Piantino of Oregon Health & Science University, whose team reported the findings Monday. “We needed this piece to say this happens in humans, too.”