A new study conducted on veterans has concluded that proper sleep plays an important role in treating traumatic brain injuries.
The study, published in the journal Neurotrauma, used a new technique that includes magnetic resonance imaging, which was developed at the University of Oregon Health and Science.
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The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to assess the enlargement of the spaces around blood vessels that surround blood vessels in the brain. Enlargement of these spaces occurs with age and is associated with the development of dementia.
Among the study veterans, those who slept poorly had more evidence of these enlarged spaces and more post-concussion symptoms.
Lead author Juan Biantino, MD, and assistant professor of pediatrics (specializing in neuroscience) at the University of Oregon School of Health and Science, and Dornbischer Children’s Hospital, said: “This has huge implications for the armed forces and civilians alike. This study indicates that Sleep may play an important role in removing waste from the brain after a traumatic brain injury, and if you do not sleep well, you may not clean your brain efficiently. “
Traumatic brain injury is most often caused by violent blows or vibrations on the head or body.
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The new study builds on the magnetic resonance imaging analysis method developed by study co-author Daniel Schwartz and Irene Bozflog, under the direction of Dr.Lisa Silbert, professor of neurology at the University of Oregon School of Medicine for Health and Sciences.
This technique measures changes in the spaces around blood vessels in the brain, which are part of the brain’s waste disposal system known as the glymphatic system.
“We were able to measure this structure very precisely and count the number of channels, their location and diameter,” said Biantino.
Co-author Geoffrey Eliff, professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences and neuroscience at the University of Washington and researcher at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, who has led scientific research into the glymphatic system and its role in neurodegeneration in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, noted that during sleep, these do The brain’s WAN removes metabolic proteins that may accumulate in the brain.
The study used data collected from a group of 56 veterans enrolled by co-authors Ellen Biscind and Murray Raskind, of the Center for Mental Illness Education and Clinical Research at VA Puget Sound between 2011 and 2019.
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“Imagine your brain generates all this waste and everything is working fine. Now you get a concussion. The brain generates a lot of waste that needs to be removed, but the system gets clogged,” Biantino explained.
Biantino said the new study indicates that the technique developed by Silbert could be beneficial for the elderly. “In the long term, we can start thinking about using this method to predict who will be more likely to have cognitive problems, including dementia,” he added.
The study is the latest in a growing body of research highlighting the importance of sleep for brain health.
Biantino said improving sleep is a habit that is modifiable and can be enhanced through a variety of approaches, including better sleep habits such as reducing screen time before bed.
Source: Science Daily
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