Bad sleeping can be predictive of Alzheimer’s. Photo credit: Shutterstock
The background
A study on mice at Washington University has revealed a link between an increase in the components of Alzheimer’s disease and a lack of sleep. It is the latest of many studies and experiments into the causality of the progressive disease that affects half a million people in the UK alone. The Washington study is also not the first to find links between sleep patterns and the disease.
The specifics
Clumps of protein, called plaques, in the brain are thought to be a key component of Alzheimer’s. The new research showed that the natural fluctuations of amyloid beta, one of the main ingredients of these plaques, stopped in both mice and humans when the first indicators of brain plaques appear. The author of the report, Dr David Holtzman told The Daily Mail, “We suspect that the plaques are pulling in amyloid beta, removing it from the processes that would normally clear it from the brain.” The Washington experiment’s nocturnal mice slept for 40 minutes during every hour of daylight. However, as soon as these brain plaques started to form the mice were sleeping for only 30 minutes. Dr Marie Janson, from the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, told BBC News: “There has already been research linking changes in sleep patterns to a decline in thinking skills, but these results suggest that disrupted sleep may also be a warning sign of Alzheimer’s.”
Supporting earlier research
Previous research, led by Yo-El Ju, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis earlier this year showed similar results. The study, of cognitively normal people, revealed that frequent awakenings and a habit of lying awake were linked to higher levels of markers of the brain plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Back in February, Ju told ABC News, “Further research is needed to determine why this is happening and whether sleep changes may predict cognitive decline.” Yet Ju was also keen to stress, “Our study lays the groundwork for investigating whether manipulating sleep is a possible strategy in the prevention or slowing of Alzheimer’s disease.” A study of the sleep patterns of elderly women, conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that those who slept for under five hours or over nine hours a day had worse brain functioning than those who slept for seven. The Huffington Post reports the statement of the chief researcher Elizabeth Devore, Sc.D: “Our findings support the notion that extreme sleep durations and changes in sleep duration over time may contribute to cognitive decline and early Alzheimer’s changes in older adults.”
A breakthrough for Alzheimer’s?
Confirmation of earlier research could mean a medical breakthrough in the battle to cure Alzheimer’s. The Huffington Post reports Elizabeth Devore’s comment that “The public health implications of these findings could be substantial, as they might lead to the eventual identification of sleep- and circadian- based strategies for reducing risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s.” Dr Marie Janson also told BBC News: “If research confirms specific sleep changes as a possible early marker of Alzheimer’s, it could prove a useful strategy for doctors to identify patients at risk of the disease.”
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