Sleep-related brain clearance system upgrade?

Sleep-related brain clearance system upgrade?

From "News From The Future" with Dr Catherine Ball by The Future Is Already Here.... Meet The Humans At The Cutting Edge

May 8, 2026 · 6 min

About this episode

The episode discusses a breakthrough in enhancing the brain's glymphatic system to potentially delay Alzheimer's onset using existing drugs.

Podcast Transcript: Hello and Welcome to News From The Future, spoken by the eleven labs audio clone of Dr Catherine Ball. In this new short series we will be focussing on Sleep. We all do it, and we all recognise when we have not had enough of it. Dr Cath’s new book The Future of Sleep is out now and available globally in paperback, audiobook, and ebook. We think you’ll get something life changing from it. Today we are talking about something a bit controversial - New drugs to prevent Alzheimers that are enhancing the glymphatic system. Enjoy! A fascinating breakthrough in neuroscience has identified a combination of two drugs that could significantly enhance the brain’s glymphatic system. This system, often described as the brain’s waste-disposal mechanism, plays a critical role in clearing out harmful proteins and toxins that accumulate over time. These proteins, such as beta-amyloid and tau, are strongly associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. For the first time, researchers have pinpointed drugs that can specifically target and boost this system, offering a potential way to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by several years. The two drugs at the center of this…

People in this episode

Host: Dr Catherine Ball

Topics covered

  • sleep
  • neuroscience
  • Alzheimer's
  • glymphatic system
  • drug repurposing

Keywords

  • sleep
  • glymphatic system
  • Alzheimer's
  • neuroscience
  • drugs
  • beta-amyloid
  • tau

Mentioned in this episode

Products: sedative, medication

Books & works: The Future of Sleep

More episodes of "News From The Future" with Dr Catherine Ball

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the "News From The Future" with Dr Catherine Ball podcast page.