While you鈥檙e fast asleep, your brain prepares to start the next morning fresh by taking its trashcan to the curb. Well, several trashcans. Approximately 86 billion trashcans, actually 鈥� one for each neuron in the brain.

The lymphatic system clears waste from the entire human body with the exception of the brain, an area where new research suggests it gets an assist from non-neuron cells called glia. Emily Salvador, a second-year doctoral student in 糖心vlog鈥檚 studies how disruptions in the brain鈥檚 waste-management process may impair neurological function in the context of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, a progressive form of dementia affecting one in 13 people ages 65 to 84, according to the National Institute on Aging. 

鈥淚 study Alzheimer鈥檚 not only because it鈥檚 fascinating on a scientific level but because it鈥檚 such a detrimental disease,鈥� said Salvador, who earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in cell and molecular neuroscience from FSU鈥檚 Department of Biological Science in 2023. 鈥淎lthough medicine can treat some Alzheimer鈥檚 symptoms to a limited extent, current medical practices can鈥檛 cure patients 鈥� not without research.鈥�

One of Salvador鈥檚 current research projects explores how poor sleep quality may weaken the glymphatic system 鈥� the joint effort by glia and the lymphatic system to flush waste from the brain. Suppressed glymphatic functioning can result in a buildup of neurotoxins and a sticky, protein-based substance called plaque, which initially weakens communication among the brain鈥檚 neurons and eventually kills them. Salvador investigates this phenomenon as a potential root cause for those who have both Alzheimer鈥檚 and sleep problems, a combination representing a large segment of Alzheimer鈥檚 patients.

鈥淢y work seeks to understand one of the earliest behavioral changes caused by Alzheimer鈥檚 鈥� impaired spatial navigation and spatial memory, or how we orient ourselves in space to navigate our environment 鈥� and how routine, quality sleep may improve memory impairments we see in Alzheimer鈥檚 by flushing out neurotoxins that build up daily,鈥� she said.

This research is based in the Wilber Lab, which is led by Salvador鈥檚 doctoral mentor and associate professor of Aaron Wilber. More broadly, the Wilber Lab investigates spatial navigation and spatial memory, a process that engages memory among other cognitions, and how this ability can become impaired by Alzheimer鈥檚.

鈥淪cience is an incredible thing to be a part of, and it takes time and collaborations that are sometimes invisible to the non-scientific community,鈥� Salvador said. 鈥淧eople want fast results, but that鈥檚 not exactly how science works. Science is a puzzle, and every single neuroscientist is working together on the same puzzle 鈥� the human body.鈥�

Salvador鈥檚 research journey began as an undergraduate in former associate professor of psychology Alexandria Meyer鈥檚 lab, which specialized in clinical child psychology research. Following this experience, Salvador examined how different regions within the brain communicate to execute tasks 鈥� part of a research assistantship with the Nee Lab, led by associate professor of psychology Derek Nee, which investigates working memory and cognitive control.

She first studied Alzheimer鈥檚 through a neurobiological lens during a summer internship in Israel in 2022 under Uri Ashery, a professor of neuroscience at Tel Aviv University. The following fall, Salvador applied to conduct her doctoral research alongside Wilber, as his lab combines Salvador鈥檚 longstanding interest in sleep research and her newly discovered interest in Alzheimer鈥檚. 

鈥淓mily is particularly talented in computationally demanding data analyses, and she鈥檚 developed an expertise in the relationship among sleep, Alzheimer鈥檚 and the glymphatic system,鈥� Wilber said. 鈥淓mily鈥檚 passion for research and her willingness to engage with anyone who will listen is especially important for conveying the necessity of her work, and science more broadly, to the public.鈥�

Upon her acceptance to FSU as a graduate student, Salvador earned a highly selective Neuroscience Fellowship, which covers tuition for up to two years. Each year, only two or three neuroscience doctoral students are chosen to receive this fellowship. 

鈥淚n undergrad, one of my professors said, 鈥楳edicine treats symptoms, but research finds root causes,鈥� and that stuck with me,鈥� Salvador said. 鈥淎lzheimer鈥檚 is the most common form of dementia, and it鈥檚 devastating for both patients and their families. Maybe the disease won鈥檛 be cured in my lifetime, but my work will move cogs in the machine forward to help people 鈥� not just in the U.S. but also across the globe.鈥�

Kendall Cooper is a two-time FSU alumna who earned a master's degree in media and communication studies with a certification in project management in 2025 and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in media and communication studies with a double major in editing, writing and media in 2023.