ONE night of disturbed sleep increases levels of a brain protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, research has shown.
A week of tossing and turning boosts another molecule implicated in the destruction of brain cells, the same study found.
Increasing evidence suggests an association between poor sleep and a greater risk of cognitive impairment or dementia. The new findings published in the journal Brain show that just one bad night can make a difference.
Lead scientist Professor David Holtzman, from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US, said: “We showed that poor sleep is associated with higher levels of two Alzheimer’s-associated proteins.
“We think that perhaps chronic poor sleep during middle age may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s later in life.”
The brains of Alzheimer’s patients are clogged with accumulated deposits of a toxic protein called beta-amyloid. In addition, their neurons contain “tau tangles” – twisted knots of tau protein that disrupt nutrient transport within the cells and eventually kill them.
Experts believe both abnormalities contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and may be linked.
Holtzman’s team looked at 17 healthy adults aged 35 to 65 with no history of chronic sleep problems or mental impairments.
The volunteers agreed to spend a night in a specially designed, sound-proofed sleep room, wearing headphones as their brain waves were monitored via electrodes attached to the scalp.
Half the participants were randomly assigned to have their slumber disrupted by beeps in their ears once their brain activity showed them to be in a deep dreamless phase of “slow-wave” sleep – a time when neurons rest and the brain clears away molecular by-products of mental activity that accumulate during the day.
Tests showed a 10 per cent increase in beta-amyloid levels after a single night of interrupted sleep.
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