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Sleep does not help brain wash out toxins, study suggests
Finding that clearance of fluid in mice brains is lower in sleep and anaesthesia runs counter to dominant view in neuroscience
The restorative effect of a good night’s rest is widely recognised and the popular scientific explanation has been that the brain washes out toxins during sleep. “It sounded like a Nobel prize-winning idea,” said Prof Nick Franks, a professor of biophysics and anaesthetics at Imperial College London, and co-lead of the study. Some had hypothesised that without enough sleep, the brain may not be able to clear toxins effectively, but the latest research raises doubts about the plausibility of this explanation.
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