You gotta love Jarred Younger: he's young, he's completely committed to solving ME/CFS and FM (how many researchers are spending their career doing that?) he's got his own lab - and he talks! Here he is talking about the discovery of a lymphatic network in the brain. Here he says getting lymph fluid should easier than getting cerebral spinal fluid and how he may be able to use it to move forward.
You may have seen this recent study about the discovery of lymphatic vessels in the brain. Many scientists are excited about the findings. The lymphatic system is a series of valves, pumps, and immune cells involved in circulation and immune defense in the body. Several studies have reported that individuals with ME/CFS have a higher incidence of swollen lymph nodes, suggesting an infection or immune dysfunction. Until now, we thought that the lymphatic system existed only in the body, and not in the brain.
The finding that the lymphatic system extends to the brain has huge implications for neuroinflammation, pain and fatigue. It provides a logical pathway by which inflammation can travel to the brain, potentially leading to neurodegenerative conditions and other central nervous system disorders.
I read the original study – the researchers did a very meticulous job to ensure their conclusions were justified. The observations were made almost solely in mice, but some very preliminary data were presented suggesting the findings hold true for humans as well.
If confirmed, there are at least two ways the findings would be important for our lab's work.
(Check out a great blog
on this here: -http://simmaronresearch.com/2015/06/medical-game-changer-to-shed-new-light-on-neuroimmune-diseases/)
The finding that the lymphatic system extends to the brain has huge implications for neuroinflammation, pain and fatigue.
You may have seen this recent study about the discovery of lymphatic vessels in the brain. Many scientists are excited about the findings. The lymphatic system is a series of valves, pumps, and immune cells involved in circulation and immune defense in the body. Several studies have reported that individuals with ME/CFS have a higher incidence of swollen lymph nodes, suggesting an infection or immune dysfunction. Until now, we thought that the lymphatic system existed only in the body, and not in the brain.
The finding that the lymphatic system extends to the brain has huge implications for neuroinflammation, pain and fatigue. It provides a logical pathway by which inflammation can travel to the brain, potentially leading to neurodegenerative conditions and other central nervous system disorders.
I read the original study – the researchers did a very meticulous job to ensure their conclusions were justified. The observations were made almost solely in mice, but some very preliminary data were presented suggesting the findings hold true for humans as well.
If confirmed, there are at least two ways the findings would be important for our lab's work.
- First, if the brain lymphatic system is connected to the body lymphatic system, we could extract and analyze the draining lymph to measure the inflammatory chemicals from the brain much more easily than drawing cerebrospinal fluid with a spinal tap.
- Second, if we can develop a way to neuroimage the lymph nodes in the brain, we may be able to see swelling that can help us diagnose central inflammation.
(Check out a great blog
on this here: -http://simmaronresearch.com/2015/06/medical-game-changer-to-shed-new-light-on-neuroimmune-diseases/)
