Mr. Ippolito
Current Event 9
November 24, 2019
Sanders, Laura. “Sleep May Trigger Rhythmic Power Washing in the Brain.” Science News, 31 Oct. 2019, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sleep-may-trigger-rhythmic-power-washing-brain.
According to a recent article by Laura Sanders, sleep may trigger rhythmic power washing in the brain. Every 20 seconds, a wave of fresh cerebrospinal fluid rolls into the sleeping brain. These slow, rhythmic blasts may help explain why sleep is so important for brain health. Studies on animals have shown that the fluid, called CSF, can wash harmful proteins, including those implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, out of the brain. Researchers then studied 13 healthy, young people in an MRI scanner as they fell into non-REM sleep. By using a form of rapid fMRI, the team measured the movements of CSF in the brain. Fast fMRI revealed waves of fresh CSF that flowed rhythmically into the sleeping brains. Sanders continued to describe that awake people have small, gentle waves of CSF that are largely linked to breathing patterns while the sleep waves were tsunamis. Those CSF waves were tied to other types of waves in the brain, the researchers found. It’s not yet clear exactly how the various waves are related to each other, however, spotting these powerful CSF waves in the sleeping brain raises the possibility that they may clear harmful waste products from the brain. CSF coming into mice’s brains can carry away amyloid-beta, a sticky protein that accumulates in Alzheimer’s disease. When mice are asleep, more CSF comes into their brains, and more amyloid-beta gets cleared away. Finding an influx of CSF in sleeping humans “is really a significant move,” neurologist Maiken Nedergaard says.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. Affecting an estimated amount of 5.8 million people in the U.S. with the disease, it is a common disease with no cure. Slow waves of nerve cells’ electrical activity during sleep are known to decline with age, and the decline is particularly severe in people with Alzheimer’s disease. That decline could mean that the CSF waves are diminished in these people, too, an absence that could leave more toxic proteins sticking around. Studying the strong CSF waves in people with Alzheimer’s disease might reveal new aspects of the disorder and can ultimately change society.
This article was very well written and informative. It was very easy to read and follow, even providing a video of the MRI scanner during non-REM sleep, when oxygen-rich blood flows out of the brain just before a wave of cerebrospinal fluid rolls in. All of the information was introduced in chronological order and the author was very straight-foward and to the point. However, I felt that the article was lacking some information that could have helped deepen a reader’s understanding. The article was very short and I wished the author went more in depth about Alzheimer’s disease and if there were other diseases that studying CSF waves could provide new information on. Overall, the article was easy to understand, engaging, and not too long, keeping the information relevant and to the point.
Ellyn Paris
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
12/5/19
Current Event 10
Sanders, Laura. “Sleep May Trigger Rhythmic Power Washing in the Brain.” Science News, 31 Oct. 2019, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sleep-may-trigger-rhythmic-power-washing-brain.
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2019/11/sleep-may-trigger-rhythmic-power.html
I found this review by Apostolatos to be fascinating. She wrote a very good summary of the article. I appreciated that she took the human brain and its function, a very complex subject, and made it understandable to the average person. Her style of writing is very comprehensible. Secondly, Apostolatos tied the article with a very prominent issue in our current society. She mentioned how many people are affected by Alzheimer which gave the reader a sense of the severity of the situation. This gave us a better understanding of the importance of the study. Also, Apostolatos introduced the neurologist that is studying this field of science. While this seems trivial, failing to mention the people behind these studies would be failing to give credit to those who have earned it.
While Apostolatos’ review was very well written, there were a few flaws present. First, she did not integrate important quotes. While she inputted one, I do not believe it was a well chosen quote, as it could have easily been said by herself. She should have chosen a quote that impacted the review more. Furthermore, she should have written what REM and non-REM sleep are at the beginning of the article. This would have helped the reader’s understanding better.
This article as a whole was very interesting. I chose this article because its title struck me: I wanted to know what was meant by “power washing” of the brain. I learned a lot thanks to this article, most notably that sleep is vital to our health. While we have been taught this before, the correlation between Alzheimer's and lack of sleep was too strong to ignore in this article, and made me realize that I should prioritize sleep over other things.
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ReplyDeleteAmanda Troy
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
12/12/19
Current Event 11
Sanders, Laura. “Sleep May Trigger Rhythmic Power Washing in the Brain.” Science
News, 31 Oct. 2019, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sleep-may-trigger-rhythmic-power-washing-brain.
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2019/11/sleep-may-trigger-rhythmic-power.html
I read Mariana’s current event where she reviewed an article titled “Sleep May Trigger Rhythmic Power Washing in the Brain.” First, she discussed what a new study entails involving cerebrospinal fluid in the brain during sleep. This was important to note, especially at the start of the review, as Mariana gives background information and relates this study to why sleep is so crucial. Secondly, Mariana notes a new study which shows that the fluid can wash harmful proteins implicated in Alzeimers disease. This is important as this new study now ties to a huge issue in our society. Lastly, Mariana talks about the background of Alzeimers disease. It is important for one to understand this disease so the reader can comprehend the significance of this new brain study.
While Mariana wrote an excellent review, there are places she can improve upon. For one, Mariana rarely used any quotes. While she did use one, it is something Mariana could have said herself. It also did not have much of an impact on the review. Also, Mariana could have explained some terms, such as REM and non REM sleep, at the start of the review. This would have made it easier for the reader to understand certain concepts. Fixing these errors would have created a more professional review.
I really enjoyed this current event as it was very well written and easy to follow. The studies discussed in the articles were very eye opening. I am always intrigued by articles regarding new brain studies in which I learn about the endless complexities of the brain. This article also made me realize how vital sleep is to our health because as something as extreme as Alzeimers is directly correlated to sleep. As a high school student, it is important to remind ourselves that getting a good night’s rest is crucial for living a productive, healthy life when awake.
Olivia Conniff
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Mr. Ippolito
12/12/19
Current Event 11
Sanders, Laura. “Sleep May Trigger Rhythmic Power Washing in the Brain.” Science
News, 31 Oct. 2019, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sleep-may-trigger-rhythmic-power-washing-brain.
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2019/11/sleep-may-trigger-rhythmic-power.html
For my 11th current event, I chose to read Mariana’s review of an article entitled “Sleep May Trigger Rhythmic Power Washing in the Brain.” Mariana’s review was very well-written as well as informative. Firstly, I really enjoy how she made the brain a subject that could be understood by just about anyone, which is an extremely complex subject. In doing this, her writing was clear and concise, as well as easy to follow. Mariana also gave credit to the neurologist who is doing this work, which while it may seem unessential is actually very important as this neurologist has worked very hard to produce this research and deserves credit. Finally, Mariana related what she read in the article to an issue that affects people greatly in society today. She talked about how much people suffer with Alzheimer’s which lets the reader know how important this research truly is.
While Mariana’s review was very well written overall, there are a few things she could do to improve it even further. First, I feel that Mariana could have included more effective quotes that gave the reader more information or an outside perspective. This would have made the review a lot more credible and professional. Also, I think Mariana should have included a bit more background information at the beginning of her review, as it would have improved the reader’s understanding greatly.
Overall, Mariana’s review was extremely interesting and for the most part very well-written. I learned a great deal about the brain from this article, mainly how important sleep is to it being able to function correctly. It really made me realize how I should be making sleep an important part of my life and not pushing it aside for other things.