Sleep Deprivation Might Lead to Alzheimer''s

(September 25, 2009)  If you''re middle-aged, you might want to try a little harder to get a good night''s sleep, now that new research suggests the right amount of slumber might keep Alzheimer''s disease at bay.

The research was conducted in mice and is preliminary, and it may not apply to humans. Still, the possible link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer''s raises the prospect of possible treatments that target related pathways in the brain, explained study author Dr. David M. Holtzman, chairman of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"This might be a way to delay or prevent the disease by doing something in middle life" rather than waiting until something goes wrong, Holtzman said.

The researchers developed a way to monitor the levels of the protein by the hour in both humans -- through a continual measurement of their spinal fluid via a catheter -- and mice. Their findings are reported online Sept. 24 in Science.

The researchers discovered that the level of the protein went up during waking hours and fell during sleep. Holtzman said that its levels may be related to brain activity, which is higher during waking hours.

Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, an associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, said the findings are "very impressive, extremely valid and useful."   

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