Study Reveals Newly Uncovered Anatomy That Protects and Monitors Brain

• Advances in neuro-imaging and molecular biology have enabled the discovery of the anatomy that shields and monitors the brain.
• The study was published in a Science journal and describes a previously unknown component of brain anatomy.
• The study has a transformational effect on scientists' understanding of the fundamental mechanics of the human brain.
• This acts as a protective barrier and the platform from which immune cells monitor the brain for infection and inflammation.
• The study was conducted in Maiken Nedergaard's lab, who is co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester and the University of Copenhagen.
• This study has led to significant findings in the field of neuroscience, including detailing the functions of previously overlooked cells in the brain called "glia." In this study, a unique process of waste removal by the brain was named the glymphatic system by the lab.
• "SLYM, or Subarachnoidal LYmphatic-Like Membrane, was the name given to the newly discovered membrane. It is a type of membrane called mesothelium, which also lines other human organs like the heart and lungs. It is very thin and delicate, consisting of only a few cells' thicknesses. It also supports its immune defences,", says Nedergaard.
• This new membrane has also been found to line other human organs, like the heart and lungs. 
• The SLYM seems to allow only very small molecules to transit and separate clean and dirty CSF.
• SLYM is an important component of the brain’s defence, which hosts its own population of central nervous systems that use surveillance at the surface of the brain. 
• It will aid future research into scanning the brain for signs of infection.

Source- Science Daily