This is the 80th instalment in a
series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
You might have heard of “brain drain” in the context of talented and well-educated people leaving their own country to seek advancement in another. You may not have heard about the brain drains in your head.
These are glymphatic channels, microscopic pathways that are part of the brain’s cleaning network, through which cerebrospinal fluid flows, washing away metabolic waste, proteins and toxins from the brain, often while we sleep.
A recent study from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore discovered that these channels tend to get clogged up in people who show signs of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The condition, known as “enlarged perivascular spaces”, is believed to be an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
The study’s lead author was 23-year-old Justin Ong, who collaborated with Singapore’s Dementia Research Centre. He has been interested in the brain since he started medical school, he says, “because there is still a huge knowledge gap for neuropsychological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease”.
In clinical positions, he became more aware of how debilitating dementia can be, “not just for patients, but for their families who watch their loved ones slowly lose themselves”. He wanted to contribute to work that might help detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier, at a stage where intervention could make a significant difference.