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Maiken Nedergaard Elected to National Academy of Medicine for Pioneering Brain Research

Monday, October 19, 2026

University of Rochester Medicine neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard, MD, DMSc, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in health and medicine. She is being recognized for her groundbreaking discovery of the glymphatic system, which has reshaped scientists’ understanding of how the brain clears waste and the critical role sleep plays in maintaining brain health.

The National Academy of Medicine cited Nedergaard for “transforming neuroscience and medicine by discovering the glymphatic system, revealing sleep-dependent brain waste clearance. Her work redefined the biological purpose of sleep and established impaired brain clearance as a unifying mechanism in neurodegeneration, stroke, trauma, and chronic neurological disease, opening new therapeutic pathways.”

More than 14 years ago, Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered that the brain has a unique waste-clearance system that relies on the movement of cerebrospinal fluid through spaces surrounding blood vessels and into brain tissue. Primarily active during sleep, this process flushes away waste products that accumulate during wakefulness. Her research has opened new avenues for understanding and potentially treating a range of neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease.

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