Can Carbon Dioxide Help the Brain Clear Toxic Proteins?

Research suggests a way to enhance the brain's waste-clearing system to remove pathogenic proteins associated with Parkinson's disease pathology.

The method involves inhaling high doses of carbon dioxide. Here are the details.

Glymphatic System Background:
The glymphatic system is significantly more active while we sleep. Neurons rhythmically fire in unison to flush cerebral waste from the brain like a dishwasher.

The drain and plumbing at the bottom of the dishwasher represent the glymphatic vessels. They collect the waste and return the fluid to the blood, where it can be removed by the liver and kidneys.

The Research Study:
Researchers from Albuquerque, NM, subjected healthy controls and patients with Parkinson's disease to intermittent high-dose CO2 exposure.

After (3) 10-minute bursts of high CO2, researchers measured the amount of brain waste products in the blood.

They found that even among healthy controls, high CO2 increased the levels of brain-specific proteins in circulation.

Conclusions:
This data suggests that intermittent high doses of inhaled CO2 drive cerebrospinal fluid flow into the glymphatic vessels.

The researchers found that intermittent high CO2 was safe, with self-reported dizziness, discomfort, and stress remaining generally low.

This method might be a candidate treatment to clear potentially toxic brain byproducts from the brains of those with both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. However, larger studies are needed to assess the therapeutic benefit.

Learn more here.