Sleep loss `linked to early onset of Alzheimer`s
London: Having shut-eye problems? Consult
a doctor, for a new study says that loss of sleep is linked to
the early onset of Alzheimer`s disease.
Researchers from the Washington University School of
Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital have carried out the study
and found that lack of sleep could lead to dementia including
Alzheimer`s, as it increases the "silting up" of the brain.
According to them, chronic sleep deprivation increases
so-called plaques in the brain thought to be a main cause of
the condition and other dementias -- orexin, a protein which
helps regulate the sleep cycle, is also involved in the rise.
In their study on rodents and humans, the researchers
noticed that levels of amyloid beta, another protein forming
the plaques, rose and fell in association with sleep and wake
-fulness, `The Daily Telegraph` reported.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, September 25, 2009, 00:00
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