Glymphatic pathway dysfunction after traumatic brain injury might promote tau aggregation

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to predispose individuals to dementia, but the mechanisms by which TBI promotes long-term neurodegeneration are poorly understood. A new study has shown that TBI impairs the function of the glymphatic system in the brain, thereby promoting aggregation of tau protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer disease. This finding complements previous work showing that the glymphatic pathway facilitates clearance of interstitial amyloid-β in the mouse CNS.