What do glia do in the brain, and do they have anything to do with brain goop found in Alzheimer’s?
In: Biology
Glia function within the “Glymphatic Pathway” to facilitate CSF flow and remove the waste byproducts that neurons produce. Discovered in 2016, there are strides being made in understanding the component parts of this system but the actual method of function is currently not understood.
A malfunction of this pathway could, in theory, trigger the buildup of amyloid plaques, iron, and copper ions in the brain. Attacks by white blood cells on these “foreign invaders” and subsequent catalysis of the foreign body could also affect the brain tissue in direct contact with these plaques, resulting in the gradual destruction of brain tissue that is observed. This part is just my personal theory, though, with several cognitive leaps.
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