The Glymphatic System and Pain

The glymphatic system is network of perivascular spaces through which cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid can move through the brain, clearing metabolic waste, such as amyloid beta, lactate and more, from the parenchyma. This cleaning system is regulated by sleep and norepinephrine, with increased levels of norepinephrine during wakefulness inhibiting fluid movement. Norepinephrine is also essential for transition from acute to chronic pain, and sufferers of chronic neuropathic pain frequently present with sleep disruption. These connections among glymphatic clearance, sleep, and pain are very intriguing, and might lead to nonpharmaceutical interventions for pain treatment. This short perspective provides a rationale for the hypothesis that mind-body interventions-such as acupuncture-can reduce norepinephrine and increase glymphatic function, ultimately relieving chronic neuropathic pain.