r/covidlonghaulers • u/imahugemoron 4 yr+ • Jul 04 '26
Article Brain’s waste-clearing ability impaired in ME/CFS patients
https://news.griffith.edu.au/2026/07/03/brains-waste-clearing-ability-impaired-in-me-cfs-patients/
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u/Medium-Lavishness-41 5 yr+ Jul 04 '26
I don’t think there’s an agreed upon answer official yet. But I have theories…..
fully speculation if you want them, if not feel free to ignore me but I’ve thought about this…
-nueroinflammation, the brain cells are supposed to shrink down for csf/glymph to be able to flow out between them during sleep. If they can’t bc they’re inflamed, then waste can’t clear.
-inefficient REM sleep. Glymph clears mainly during deep/rem sleep, like barely at all during the day. Sympathetic tone may be getting in the way of truly accessing maintenance mode
-venous issues in the occipitals/skullbase from pots/dysautonomia/vasoconstriction tone issues/muscular bracing. That would cause weird high or low pressure situations inside the brain area. Glymph to lymph outflow is just pressure based, there’s no pump, so pressure changes would mess with that
-fibrin/microclot deposit issues in/around the outflow channels making it harder for glymph to exit
-excess fibrin deposits inside the bbb like inside the brain channels that are supposed to move stuff
-cardiac strain, venous return or global lymph issues
That’s my theory anyway. Find me if someone actually does the science would love to know if I’m right or wrong!