08/21/2025
We've known this for a long time. Get in for your massage 💆‍♀️ or facial.
🧠Scientists have discovered a remarkable way to double the brain’s waste clearance system—not with drugs or surgery, but simply by massaging the skin.
A team from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has shown in mice that gently stimulating the lymphatic vessels under the skin of the face and neck can dramatically boost cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. This process helps flush out toxins and waste products from the brain, including harmful proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Using a specially designed mechanical stimulator, researchers restored CSF drainage to youthful levels in aged mice, suggesting a safe, non-invasive strategy to improve brain health.
Even more exciting, the study mapped previously unknown drainage routes from the brain to superficial lymph nodes through facial lymphatics—pathways that remain active even in older animals. This discovery completes the anatomical picture of CSF outflow and hints at future wearable or clinical devices designed to enhance brain cleansing.
While more research is needed before human applications, this gentle mechanical approach may open the door to new therapies aimed at preventing or slowing neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
📖 Source: Nature, “Increased CSF drainage by non-invasive manipulation of cervical lymphatics” (June 4, 2025).
