Mandy Draws

Medium: digital drawing

 

This piece was done for the annual MSRS (Medical Student Research Symposium) at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. 

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After reading a book about sleep disorders and how inadequate sleep can cause many health-related problems, I was inspired to create this piece. This cross-sectional drawing shows how the glymphatic system clears brain waste during sleep through astrocyte-lined perivascular channels (green), traveling via veins to the lymphatic system. Sleep disturbance can lead to adverse effects such as predisposition to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, marked by beta-amyloid (Aβ) buildup (yellow). While a few Aβs are flushed out in this illustration, most remain in the glymphatic system.