Poor sleep may ‘predict’ Alzheimer’s – study

Friday 7th September 2012

Sleeping problems may be a sign of Alzheimer’s Disease, according to the results of a new study published this week. In an experiment on mice at Washington University it was found that ‘plaques’ – collections of protein in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s – were present in subjects that had problems in sleeping. Alzheimer’s sufferers don’t display memory or clarity problems until late into the disease, meaning that treatment is often extremely difficult. It is hoped that should the link be proven it could act as an invaluable early warning sign for doctors to provide sufficient care for sufferers.

"If sleep abnormalities begin this early in the course of human Alzheimer's disease, those changes could provide us with an easily detectable sign of the disease,” said researcher Prof. David Holtzman. "If these sleep problems exist, we don't yet know exactly what form they take, reduced sleep overall or trouble staying asleep or something else entirely."

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Tags: sleep alzheimers memory

Category: Sleep Research

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