"Sleepless Nights Show Ties To Alzheimer’s Risk" - Dennis Thompson
Even one night of lost sleep may cause the brain to fill with protein chunks that have long been linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease, a new study warns. People deprived of sleep for one night experience an immediate and significant increase in beta amyloid, a substance that clumps together between neurons to form plaques that hamper the brain's ability to function, researchers found. Experts suspect that every time a neuron fires, it contributes to the production of beta amyloid in the brain, explained Andrew Varga, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He was not connected to the study. When people don't sleep, their neurons continue to fire, potentially leading to a buildup of beta amyloid, Dr. Varga said. "It makes intuitive sense that if you have chronically high levels of beta amyloid they would congregate together and form plaques, but that piece of it is not fully fleshed out," Dr. Varga added.
- Andrew W. Varga, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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