Dementias are responsible for the most frequent neurodegenerative diseases and the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. As a result, there is a growing effort by the neuroscientific community to understand the physiopathology of neurodegenerative diseases, including how to alleviate the effects of the cognitive decline by means of non-pharmacological therapies e.
Studies have shown that exercise can improve aspects of brain health related to cognition. However, there still needs to be more knowledge regarding the mechanisms controlling these relationships, and a newly discovered cleansing system in the brain, named the glymphatic system, can be the missing link in this mechanism. The objective of this paper is to review recent findings regarding the potential impacts of physical exercise on the glymphatic system and its implications for the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
Additionally, considering the close interplay between exercise and sleep quality, we aim to explore how sleep patterns may intersect with exercise-induced effects on glymphatic function, further elucidating the complex relationship between lifestyle factors and brain health. According to the World Health Organization , dementias are responsible for the greatest increase of neurodegenerative diseases and the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases. Consequently, the neuroscientific community is increasingly focused on comprehending the physiological processes involved in neurodegeneration and exploring strategies, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, to alleviate associated clinical and behavioral symptoms.
One of the main biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases is the accumulation of aggregated proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid. This previously unknown brain cleansing system operates as a vital clearance mechanism, efficiently removing metabolic wastes from the interstitial space filled with interstitial fluid between neurons, promoting the maintenance of optimal cellular and synaptic function within the central nervous system.
It is now understood that the glymphatic system plays a significant role in managing the influx of a large amount of the subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid through the brain parenchyma and to eject the brain interstitial fluid so to have it cleared via perivenous pathways Iliff et al. Conventionally, the central nervous system was believed to lack lymphatic vessels for filtering the fluid surrounding parenchymal cells and maintaining the environment necessary for the survival and function of brain cells Hladky and Barrand, ; Louveau et al.
