Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Gait Analysis of Age-dependent Motor Impairments in Mice with Neurodegeneration
Published on: June 18, 2018
Sleep-circadian modulation of autophagy and glymphatic function: failure of coordinated brain clearance in
Shamaila Zafar1,2, Jay S Schneider3
1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Isakson Center for Neurological Disease Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA. Shamaila.zafar@uga.edu.
Abstract:
Parkinson's disease (PD) involves α-synuclein accumulation and progressive neurodegeneration. This review proposes that PD reflects failure of sleep-circadian regulated brain clearance network integrating intracellular autophagy and extracellular glymphatic transport across neurons, glia, and blood-brain-barrier. Disruption of sleep-architecture and circadian-timing desynchronizes these processes, impairing protein clearance and promoting pathology. This framework positions sleep-circadian dysfunction as an upstream mechanism, suggesting that restoring sleep-circadian regulation may improve protein clearance and support disease-modifying strategies.
Related Concept Videos
Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Parkinson's Disease: Overview
Neural Regulation
Parkinson Disease l: Introduction
Lysosomal Hydrolases
Parkinson's Disease: Treatment
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...