All in a good night’s rest
Dr. Mark Boulos, an affiliate scientist in the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program at Sunnybrook Research Institute, explains the results and implications of his latest study examining structural changes in the brains of patients who are poor sleepers. Using 3-D high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers found that in patients who had a bad night’s sleep, the Virchow-Robin spaces in their brains were larger compared to patients who had a good night’s sleep.
Virchow-Robin spaces help the brain eliminate waste and toxins built up from daily activities. These findings provide evidence that sleep quality contributes to the brain’s ability to cleanse itself. This research also highlights the potential impact of sleep on brain health in patients with neurodegenerative protein aggregation disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, which are linked to the build-up of toxic protein aggregates in the brain.
