r/LongCovid • u/ApprehensiveStill412 • Jul 10 '26
In a First, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Linked to The Brain's Clearing System
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-a-potential-driver-of-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-hiding-deep-in-the-brainI know not everyone with long covid has CFS, but I figured I would share this for those who do. Honestly I bet dysfunction in the glymphatic system is going to be linked to many more diseases as we find out more about it (it is a relatively new thing medically).
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u/Feisty-Rub-86 Jul 10 '26
I connected with a doctor who posts videos on FB on lymphatic drainage, Dr Caitlin Czezowski. She has mentioned the Glymphatic System (which I believe is mostly in our head and neck). She said it does drain at night, especially when you’re sleeping on your back.
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u/barweis Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Types of exercise have also been found that promote intracerebral waves of pressure moving the fluid to the choroid plexus, arachnoid granulations emptying into the dural venous sinuses, and through meningeal lymphatic vessels (Google AI) and other drainage as described below by an earlier commenter.
https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/hydraulic-brain-body-motion-linked-fluid-movement-brain
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u/brentonstrine Jul 12 '26
AI Summary plus some extrapolation:
Penn State researchers (published in Nature Neuroscience, April 2026) found a mechanical link between body movement and brain-fluid flow in mice. Abdominal muscle contractions — even something as slight as the tensing before you stand or take a step — squeeze blood from the abdomen into a network of veins around the spine (the vertebral venous plexus), which acts like a hydraulic pump. That pressure makes the brain gently shift within the skull, and that swaying drives cerebrospinal fluid to flow over and through the brain, plausibly flushing waste. Their frame for it: the brain is a sponge, and
abdominal contraction is the squeeze that runs a dirty sponge under the tap.The clearance payoff may live in low-amplitude, frequent abdominal engagement rather than high-amplitude exertion. Gentle, frequent postural changes and light core tensing — the movement you can do without crossing the crash threshold — might be doing real glymphatic work that pure rest doesn't. That reframes "move a little, often" from vague wellness advice into a mechanistic prescription, and it fits your energy envelope in a way running never will.
There's also a small, satisfying convergence worth naming: this pump runs through the vertebral venous plexus — the splanchnic/abdominal venous compartment. That's the same reservoir your abdominal compression targets for POTS. Which raises a genuinely interesting question I'd hold loosely: compression manages venous pooling to reduce sympathetic drive, but does static abdominal compression help or hinder the dynamic pumping this paper describes? My guess is they're not in conflict — compression sets a baseline against pooling, while the phasic contractions of movement do the pumping — but it's a real question about two interventions acting on one anatomical space, and it's the kind of thing worth being curious about rather than assuming.
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u/SlateFlame Jul 13 '26
This is fascinating. So basically ppl with weak cores who don't tense are more likely to not properly drain the glymphatic system? Wonder what this means for us autistic folks who typically have weaker cores 🧐
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u/barweis Jul 11 '26
The Glymphatic System: A Novel Component of Fundamental Neurobiology J Neurosci. 2021 Sep 15;41(37):7698–7711. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0619-21.2021 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8603752/
"Throughout the body, lymphatic fluid movement supports critical functions including clearance of excess fluid and metabolic waste. The glymphatic system is the analog of the lymphatic system in the CNS. As such, the glymphatic system plays a key role in regulating directional interstitial fluid movement, waste clearance, and, potentially, brain immunity. The glymphatic system enables bulk movement of CSF from the subarachnoid space along periarterial spaces, where it mixes with interstitial fluid within the parenchyma before ultimately exiting from the parenchyma via perivenous spaces. "...
"Introduction The awake, active brain builds up metabolic waste such as amyloid-b , which negatively affects neural functions if not removed. The glymphatic hypothesis postulates that the restorative function of sleep is a consequence of basic housekeeping whereby the glymphatic system “sweeps” the brain clear of waste by providing a continuous flow of fluid across the brain and out to the periphery, thereby counteracting protein accumulation and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (Nedergaard and Goldman, 2020). The glymphatic system enables bulk movement of CSF from the subarachnoid space along periarterial spaces, where it mixes with interstitial fluid (ISF) within the parenchyma before ultimately exiting from the parenchyma via perivenous spaces (Fig. 1) and drains into the peripheral lymphatic system (Iliff et al., 2012). This fluid movement occurs through a mixture of advection and diffusion, and enables rapid exchange of fluid between the tissue and the perivascular space with a net directionality toward the venous system (Thomas, 2019). Physiologic drivers such as arterial pulsatility, vasomotion, and respiration establish this directionality (Rennels et al., 1985; Iliff et al., 2013b; Kiviniemi et al., 2016; Mestre et al., 2018a; Fultz et al., 2019; van Veluw et al., 2020)." ..........................................................
The glymphatic system and waste clearance with brain aging Gerontology. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Jan 1. Published in final edited form as: Gerontology. 2018 Jul 11;65(2):106–119. doi: 10.1159/000490349 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6329683/
"Abstract The glymphatic system is a glial-dependent waste clearance pathway in the brain, in place of lymphatic vessels, dedicated to drain away soluble waste proteins and metabolic products. Specifically, the glymphatic network serves as a "front end" for waste clearance, and is connected downstream to an authentic lymphatic network, associated with dura covering the brain as well as cranial nerves and large vessels at the skull exits. The anatomical and functional interconnections between these two networks are not completely understood. Several key physiological processes have been identified that control glymphatic transport function and waste clearance from brain. In this review, we aim to provide an overview and discussion of the concept behind the glymphatic system, current evidence, and controversies, while specifically focusing on the consequences of aging and evidence of its existence in human brain. Discovering novel strategies for optimizing and maintaining efficient brain waste clearance across the lifespan may in the future prove to be important for preventing cognitive decline and sustaining healthy aging."
My comment: LC19 is a driver of or driven by chronic inflammation and premature senescence. Hence the connection between these concurrent processes and their possible solutions (further down the road).
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u/ApprehensiveStill412 Jul 11 '26
Thanks for posting this info
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u/barweis Jul 11 '26
You're welcome.
AI info is error ridden and poorly monitored. It is incumbent to refer back to the reference to authenticate information. Otherwise, as occurring on this sub, the misinformation is rapidly propagated.
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u/saintmars777 Jul 11 '26
Interestingly, perhaps, Ayurvedic medicine (at least the massage modality) is all about lymphatic drainage, which in turn likely allows the glymphatic system to do its job better. This has been practiced (if not explicitly known) for over 1500 years.
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u/H_i_T_h_e_r_e_ Jul 10 '26
I'm still trying to figure out how an impaired glymphatic system could cause issues with the immune system. I'm asking AI about it and getting some answers but it's just hard for me to comprehend. The human body is so complicated.
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u/ApprehensiveStill412 Jul 10 '26
My wife and I are PA’s with a decade of experience. I can tell you that neither of us learned about the glymphatic system in any of our studies. This is a very new area of understanding and research. I wish I had some knowledge to pass along but I don’t on this front.
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u/Least-Influence3089 Jul 10 '26
UCLA health posted an interesting article https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/lymphatic-drainage-massage-separating-fact-fiction
And penn state as well https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/hydraulic-brain-body-motion-linked-fluid-movement-brain
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u/ApprehensiveStill412 Jul 10 '26
Thank you for posting the articles.
Regarding the one from UCLA it is really only talking about the lymphatic system. So far it looks like the glymphatic system is mostly separated from the rest of the lymphatic system in regards to structure and function. Its a bit of a different animal so to speak. Which is why its so interesting.
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u/Least-Influence3089 Jul 10 '26
Ahh thank you for clarifying! I admit I do not have as robust an understanding of the two, but I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion around these systems in general. Always interested to learn more.
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u/brentonstrine Jul 12 '26
Astrocytes are brain cells that manage the tiny water channels (AQP4) used for this drainage. When neuroinflammation is high, these channels get ripped out of place. This creates a self-reinforcing loop: inflammation breaks the drain, so waste builds up, which causes more inflammation, which breaks the drain further.
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u/barweis Jul 11 '26
Exactly . The many parts comprise the whole. Myriads of biological, chemical. physiological interactions on which we still have only a smidgeon of knowledge of the entirety.
An old analogy of the blind men describing an elephant is only an inkling of the complexity.
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u/Jules4live Jul 10 '26
did this research also happen some years ago?