Study links sleep to Alzheimer’s disease

POOR sleep could be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease, research has suggested.

A lack of regular deep sleep allows a toxic protein known as beta-amyloid to increase in the brain, attacking the mind’s memory faculties.

The study by Berkeley, University of California says a vicious cycle emerges where the protein build-up cor rodes memory and disrupts sleep further.

Over time, this can develop into the degenerative brain disease Alzheimer’s.

The relationship between sleep and memory loss prompted by beta-amyloid was suspected after heavy build-ups were discovered both in people suffering from Alzheimer’s and those with sleeping disorders.

Researchers welcomed the discovery, saying they hoped they could prevent future memory loss through the treatment of sleep deprivation.

A lack of non-REM sleep was identified as playing an important role in the process, as it is a form of deep sleep which helps the mind transfer short-term memories into an area of the brain used for longer-term retention.

Professor Matthew Walker told Nature Neuroscience, which published the study: “Sleep could be a novel therapeutic target for fighting back against memory impairment .

“Sleep is helping wash away toxic proteins at night, preventing them from building up and from potentially destroying brain cells.

The latest study tested the memory of 26 adults functioning on varying levels of sleep, finding a “very suggestive” link between memory loss and sleep deprivation.

Participants memorised 120 word pairs before scans were used to monitor their brain activity as they slept. They were then tested again in the morning.

Neuroscientist William Jagust, also involved in the study, said: “Our study shows that this beta-amyloid deposition may lead to a vicious cycle in which sleep is fur ther disturbed and memory impaired.”