glymphatic

English

Etymology

Blend of glial +‎ lymphatic; from late 2013.

Adjective

glymphatic (not comparable)

1. (biology, anatomy) Of or relating to the waste clearance pathway for the central nervous system of vertebrates.
   • 2015, Alexandra Armitage, Advanced Practice Nursing Guide to the Neurological Exam, Springer Publishing, page 205:

     Recent research has shown that sleep allows for the clearing of toxic substances from the brain. It does this through the glymphatic system, which is the brain's equivalent of the lymphatic system.

   • 2017, Nikolaus Pleslila, “4: Experimental Techniques to Investigate the Formation of Brain Edema In Vivo”, in Jérôme Badaut, Nikolaus Plesnila, editors, Brain Edema: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Practice, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 72:

     Hence, an increase of BWC^{[brain water content]} can only occur though an increased flow of water from the intravascular space into the brain parenchyma by an increase in glymphatic influx or by a reduced glymphatic efflux.

   • 2017, Amy Berger, The Alzheimer's Antidote, Chelsea Green Publishing, page 216:

     The glymphatic system is most active during sleep and is largely disengaged during waking hours.

Translations

of or relating to the waste clearance pathway of the central nervous system

• Finnish: glymfaattinen, glia-lymfaattinen
• French: glymphatique (fr)