Poor sleep linked to onset of Alzheimer's disease

Published on Thursday 24 September 2009 22:13

CHRONIC lack of sleep may promote the development of Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.

The findings have implications for people suffering from insomnia and other sleep disorders, say scientists.

Researchers monitored levels of amyloid beta, a protein fragment known to be linked to Alzheimer's, in the brains of sleep-deprived mice with symptoms of the disease.

They found that preventing the mice from sleeping caused a 25 per cent increase in amyloid beta levels. The peptide builds up in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers to form damaging plaques.

Amyloid beta levels were generally higher when mice were active than when they were sleeping.

Animals that stayed awake longer had higher amounts of the peptide.

Separate research published in the journal Science, linked the finding to humans, showing that amyloid beta levels in the spinal fluid of volunteers increased when they were awake and lowered during sleep.