Sleep disruption linked to early Alzheimer’s markers
- Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Scientists in the US have found cognitively healthy people with disrupted sleep patterns may be more likely to have markers associated with early Alzheimer’s disease. The study is due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in April.
Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:
“These results are yet to be published in full, but the study does raise new questions about the possible relationship between sleep patterns and the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It’s not clear whether any of the people in this study went on to develop Alzheimer’s, and we cannot conclude from this research that disrupted sleep causes the disease – but larger, long-term studies could help us to better understand how the two may be linked.
“Experts believe that Alzheimer’s begins to develop in mid-life, years before symptoms appear, but we still need to know much more about the changes that occur in the earliest stages of the disease. The better we can understand how Alzheimer’s develops, the greater our chance of finding an effective treatment for the disease – but that means it’s vital to invest in research.”
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