For a long time, the development of dementia has been associated with the buildup of proteins like amyloid plaques and tau. <\/p>\n
Amyloid plaques are sticky bundles of abnormal protein<\/a> fragments, while tau tangles <\/a>are made up of stringy proteins<\/a>. Combined, this pair has been compared <\/a>to the \u201ctrigger and bullet\u201d in dementia formation. <\/p>\n But scientists might have just made a step forward in dealing with them. <\/p>\n Neuropsychologist Dr Sephira Ryman, who led a team of researchers from The University of New Mexico School of Medicine and the Mind Research Network (MRN), reportedly presented her team\u2019s findings at the Alzheimer\u2019s Association International Conference<\/a> in London last week. She explained that<\/a> carbon dioxide can help to \u201cpump\u201d out tau before it can accumulate. <\/p>\n This follows earlier Parkinson\u2019s research<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2025, Dr Ryman and her team published<\/a> a paper which suggested that exposing the brain to low-level bursts of CO2 could help to \u201cclear potentially toxic brain byproducts\u201d. <\/p>\n It did this, they said, by activating our body\u2019s glymphatic system. The glymphatic system removes waste from our brain<\/a> (especially as we sleep) and seems to be impaired <\/a>in people with conditions like Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n This initial paper found that three 10-minute sessions of inhaling higher-than-usual amounts of CO2 seemed to help Parkinson\u2019s patients\u2019 brains clear unwanted buildup \u2013 in this case, alpha-synuclein.<\/p>\n At the time, Dr Ryman said<\/a>: \u201cwe realised that we could reproduce, in the awake state, the glymphatic clearing response usually linked to deep sleep using intermittent CO2\u201d. <\/p>\n Dr Ryman has been involved in a study involving 12 people \u2013 eight of whom had normal tau levels, and four of whom had more tau buildup, New Scientist shared<\/a>. Three of the four people had mild cognitive impairment, sometimes seen as a <\/a>precursor to dementia.<\/p>\n The researchers scanned participants\u2019 brains as they wore masks that released bursts of higher-CO2 air, switching from normal levels of the gas to much higher concentrations every 35 seconds for half an hour. <\/p>\n This seemed to activate their glymphatic system, and after the procedure was done, tau clearance appeared to be improved among those with high levels of it. <\/p>\n And all participants\u2019 blood had higher levels of beta-amyloid (which can lead to the amyloid plaques we mentioned earlier) after the session too. <\/p>\n \u201cThis suggests this neurodegenerative marker was being cleared more out of the brain,\u201d Dr Ryman said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Researchers wonder whether this means breathing techniques might be good for our brains <\/strong><\/p>\n In a paper<\/a> for the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, Dr Ryman and her colleagues said: \u201cBreath-centered practices such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong have been utilised for centuries to manage stress and promote psychological well-being.<\/p>\n \u201cEmerging research reveals an additional benefit: these practices also stimulate cerebrospinal fluid oscillations, potentially activating the glymphatic pathway during wakefulness.\u201d<\/p>\n However, more research is needed to confirm their findings.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth noting that the amyloid and tau-clearing power of the treatment seemed to stop<\/a> an hour later (though the glymphatic system doesn\u2019t work 24\/7<\/a>, either).<\/p>\n