The brain continuously produces metabolic waste that must be removed to maintain healthy function. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) plays a central role in this process by carrying away proteins such as amyloid-β, phosphorylated tau, and α-synuclein, which are linked to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders when they accumulate abnormally.

Scientists have long known that much of this waste ultimately leaves the brain through lymphatic vessels and drains into lymph nodes in the neck. Yet one fundamental question has remained unanswered: How does cerebrospinal fluid cross the arachnoid membrane, a protective barrier separating the brain from the surrounding lymphatic system?

A research team led by Director KOH Gou Young at the Center for Vascular Research within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), together with collaborators in Korea, Finland, and the United States, has now identified the missing anatomical gateway. The researchers discovered microscopic openings in the arachnoid membrane, which they named “arachnoid fenestrations”, that allow cerebrospinal fluid to pass directly into meningeal lymphatic vessels. The findings reveal the most detailed pathway yet for brain waste clearance and identify a drainage route that progressively deteriorates during aging but can be functionally restored in aged mice.

While more women globally are using medication to have abortions, a University of Maryland-led study out today in JAMA Psychiatry found no evidence that a first medication or procedural abortion caused an increase in mental health medication use. 

A major international review has found "exercise addiction" is real but far rarer than you might think. Researchers warn that dedication to fitness is often mistaken for addiction, which is instead marked by a loss of control—training through injury, illness or at the expense of work and relationships. The message isn’t to exercise less, but to exercise smarter, prioritising recovery, wellbeing and balance over relentless “no days off” culture.