People who sleep poorly are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that losing just one night of sleep led to an immediate increase in beta-amyloid, a protein in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. In Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid proteins clump together to form amyloid plaques, a hallmark of the disease. They found beta-amyloid increases of about 5% after losing a night of sleep in brain regions, including the thalamus and hippocampus, regions especially vulnerable to damage in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. In Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid is estimated to increase about 43% in affected individuals relative to healthy older adults.

Source: Hindustan Times April 14, 2018 06:11 UTC