KOREAN NET

Domestic researchers in a world first have identified the first gateway for clearing waste products in the human brain. (iClickArt) Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution of this image is prohibited under copyright law.

By Koh Hyunjeong

A domestic research team in a world first has identified the first gateway in the process for clearing waste products in the human brain.

The treatment restores the waste-clearance function that declines with aging and is expected to mark a breakthrough in research on neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.

The Ministry of Science and ICT on July 22 said the team led by Dr. Koh Kyu Young, director of the Vascular Research Center at the Institute for Basic Science, identified the pathway through which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) moves through meningeal lymphatic vessels via tiny openings in the arachnoid membrane known as "arachnoid fenestrations."

The study was published on July 22 in the international scientific journal Cell.

The researchers identified the drainage pathway by which CSF passes through the arachnoid pores and travels via the meningeal and nasal lymphatic vessels to the cervical lymph nodes.

They also identified the effects of aging on the brain's waste-clearance pathways. In aged mice, reduced numbers of arachnoid granulations and lymphatic vessels impaired CSF drainage.

The team restored this function by administering the gene VEGF-C, which promotes the formation of lymphatic vessels, to the nasal mucosa.

The study's identification of the starting point and pathways for removing waste products from the brain is expected to mark a turning point in the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

hjkoh@korea.kr