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Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

nih.gov

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Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#31

Post by Boothroid »

mysterypie wrote: post #29

> the team discovered lymphatic vessels in the dura, the leathery outer coating of the brain Can someone explain why these vessels were never discovered during autopsies until now? Are they too thin, or transparent, or thought to have been something else, or the tubes become squished after death and therefore difficult to separate from other tissue, or what?

I wonder the same thing. Not to be snarky, but is there something faulty about medics or human biologists?! Why do I have a feeling that if we deployed computer scientists at medical research we would get a better result? I can accept that at the lower level things get fiendishly complex, but surely at a macro level like this it's just a case of diligent analysis?

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#32

Post by junke »

Boothroid wrote: post #31
mysterypie wrote: post #29

> the team discovered lymphatic vessels in the dura, the leathery outer coating of the brain Can someone explain why these vessels were never discovered during autopsies until now? Are they too thin, or transparent, or thought to have been something else, or the tubes become squished after death and therefore difficult to separate from other tissue, or what?

I wonder the same thing. Not to be snarky, but is there something faulty about medics or human biologists?! Why do I have a feeling that if we deployed computer scientists at medical research we would get a better result? I can accept that at the lower level things get fiendishly complex, but surely at a macro level like this it's just a case of diligent analysis?

https://xkcd.com/1831/

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#33

Post by blubb-fish »

Boothroid wrote: post #31
mysterypie wrote: post #29

> the team discovered lymphatic vessels in the dura, the leathery outer coating of the brain Can someone explain why these vessels were never discovered during autopsies until now? Are they too thin, or transparent, or thought to have been something else, or the tubes become squished after death and therefore difficult to separate from other tissue, or what?

I wonder the same thing. Not to be snarky, but is there something faulty about medics or human biologists?! Why do I have a feeling that if we deployed computer scientists at medical research we would get a better result? I can accept that at the lower level things get fiendishly complex, but surely at a macro level like this it's just a case of diligent analysis?

Most professionals in the field of medicine were educated towards an elitist and dogmatic mindset. When I talk with a physician about the human body I always get the impression they really believe the body works as described in the books - exactly like that. Most of them didn't seem to have noticed or learned that what we know about medicine is just theory approximating reality and all of those theories had to be updated sooner or later - always.

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#34

Post by userbinator »

Boothroid wrote: post #31
mysterypie wrote: post #29

> the team discovered lymphatic vessels in the dura, the leathery outer coating of the brain Can someone explain why these vessels were never discovered during autopsies until now? Are they too thin, or transparent, or thought to have been something else, or the tubes become squished after death and therefore difficult to separate from other tissue, or what?

I wonder the same thing. Not to be snarky, but is there something faulty about medics or human biologists?! Why do I have a feeling that if we deployed computer scientists at medical research we would get a better result? I can accept that at the lower level things get fiendishly complex, but surely at a macro level like this it's just a case of diligent analysis?

Reminds me of this: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/can-modern-neuroscie...

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#35

Post by etiam »

mysterypie wrote: post #29

> the team discovered lymphatic vessels in the dura, the leathery outer coating of the brain Can someone explain why these vessels were never discovered during autopsies until now? Are they too thin, or transparent, or thought to have been something else, or the tubes become squished after death and therefore difficult to separate from other tissue, or what?

Kipnis made a mention of this in an interview closer to the actual discovery:

As to how the brain’s lymphatic vessels managed to escape notice all this time, Kipnis described them as “very well hidden” and noted that they follow a major blood vessel down into the sinuses, an area difficult to image. “It’s so close to the blood vessel, you just miss it,” he said. “If you don’t know what you’re after, you just miss it.”

http://neurosciencenews.com/lymphatic-system-brain-neurobiol...

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#36

Post by mebebil »

Haven't read it just replying to the headline. I think it is amazing that how a systemic approach to medicine could affect modern medicine. Defining the boundary and the inputs/outputs are the most important aspect of understanding any system.

I was wondering whether the stuff that this new lymphatic vessels carry were still known to be dumped off the brain by blood or otherwise, or were assumed to remain in or to be used up by the brain.

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#37

Post by Flenser »

etiam wrote: post #35
mysterypie wrote: post #29

> the team discovered lymphatic vessels in the dura, the leathery outer coating of the brain Can someone explain why these vessels were never discovered during autopsies until now? Are they too thin, or transparent, or thought to have been something else, or the tubes become squished after death and therefore difficult to separate from other tissue, or what?

Kipnis made a mention of this in an interview closer to the actual discovery: As to how the brain’s lymphatic vessels managed to escape notice all this time, Kipnis described them as “very well hidden” and noted that they follow a major blood vessel down into the sinuses, an area difficult to image. “It’s so close to the blood vessel, you just miss it,” he said. “If you don’t know what you’re after, you just miss it.…

considering the article also says:

Lymphatic vessels are part of the body’s circulatory system. In most of the body they run alongside blood vessels.

it's somewhat surprising (in hindsight I admit) that no-one thought to look for them there before.

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#38

Post by skocznymroczny »

junke wrote: post #32
Boothroid wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder the same thing. Not to be snarky, but is there something faulty about medics or human biologists?! Why do I have a feeling that if we deployed computer scientists at medical research we would get a better result? I can accept that at the lower level things get fiendishly complex, but surely at a macro level like this it's just a case of diligent analysis?

https://xkcd.com/1831/

Replace "Algorithms" with "Machine learning" and you have 2017.

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#39

Post by Boothroid »

junke wrote: post #32
Boothroid wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder the same thing. Not to be snarky, but is there something faulty about medics or human biologists?! Why do I have a feeling that if we deployed computer scientists at medical research we would get a better result? I can accept that at the lower level things get fiendishly complex, but surely at a macro level like this it's just a case of diligent analysis?

https://xkcd.com/1831/

Hardly the same thing.

Re: Evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain

#40

Post by Boothroid »

userbinator wrote: post #34
Boothroid wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder the same thing. Not to be snarky, but is there something faulty about medics or human biologists?! Why do I have a feeling that if we deployed computer scientists at medical research we would get a better result? I can accept that at the lower level things get fiendishly complex, but surely at a macro level like this it's just a case of diligent analysis?

Reminds me of this: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/can-modern-neuroscie...

As I said in my comment, at a macro level. I just don't understand how new human anatomical features that are not even at a microscopic level are still being discovered in 2017. It boggles the mind.
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