While you snooze, your brain is at work. Scientists say that during slumber, the human brain is doing more than processing, storing memories, and dreaming. It’s likely performing a kind of deep-clean—using a God-engineered process that keeps the mind fresh and the body healthy.
Every human brain is made of billions of cells. Those tiny, hard-working units produce lots of waste.
Over a decade ago, scientists at the University of Rochester reported a network of channels in mice brains. This “plumbing” flushed cellular waste from deep inside the brains and sent it to the liver and kidneys for disposal. Researchers dubbed it the “glymphatic system.”
God made physical brains to need cleaning and restoration. He created processes like the glymphatic system to refresh them. The Bible addresses mind renewal too—the spiritual kind. (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23) Prayer, obedience, and repentance are some of the systems that restore the spiritual mind.
Scientists studying the mouse glymphatic system assumed the human brain had a similar mechanism.
Finally, in October, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University spotted what they’d been seeking: a network of tiny waste-clearing channels in the brains of living humans.
Dr. Juan Piantino was part of the team that discovered the channels. He says regular MRI scans can spot the fluid-filled network. However, they don’t show the channels in action.
So Piantino’s team injected a radioactive substance called a tracer into five brain surgery patients. The tracers “lit up” under MRIs. Zing! Hours later, scientists watched the tracer leave each brain via the channels—just like in mice.
It’s not clear exactly how the waste removal works. Some research indicates the natural pulsing of blood vessels helps move cellular trash from the brain.
Researchers think age, injury, and blood vessel diseases can cause problems with the glymphatic system. Clogs or blockages in the system can lead to headaches, depression, or even Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, says Alzheimer’s researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Iliff.
One area of research involves sleep’s effect on waste-removal. Researchers found that mice sometimes cleared waste faster during sleep. They posit this could also be true for humans, making a good night’s sleep even more important than previously thought.
Questions about brain waste removal and its connection to human health remain. For now, the science seems to show that the brain’s waste-removal channels can help prevent an array of brain-related problems by literally clearing the mind.
Why? God created ways for human brains to clean and renew themselves. Mind renewal—both physical and spiritual—is a gift from God.
