“Link Between Alzheimer’s and Deep Sleep Duration: Study by University of Berkeley”

A study by the University of Berkeley has revealed that Alzheimer’s disease and deep sleep duration are linked.

Slow wave non-REM sleep may act as a cognitive reserve factor and decrease the risk of memory loss caused by dementia.

The University of California at Berkeley conducted a study that revealed an important finding. Deep non-REM sleep is capable of acting as a backup factor increasing resilience against the amyloid-beta protein in the brain. Let’s talk about the protein responsible for memory loss caused by dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The research adds, therefore, to the previous studies that had linked disrupted sleep to a more rapid accumulation of beta-amyloid protein. More specifically, it has now been concluded that a higher amount of sleep non-REM has an effect memory protection reducing the risk of decline with the onset of Alzheimer’s.

It means that – according to experts – the discovery could alleviate some of the devastating consequences of dementia.

Alzheimer’s and deep sleep, the study

The researchers studied 62 healthy older adults without a diagnosis of dementia. They invited them to sleep in the laboratory so that they could monitor sleep waves using electroencephalograms. With PET, on the other hand, they measured themselves the amount of amyloid-beta deposits inside the brains of research participants. Half had higher quantities, the other half didn’t. Upon awakening, then, the elders were called upon to perform of memory exercises (matching names to faces).

The results

People with higher levels of amyloid-beta protein but longer sleep duration during non-REM sleep they had higher scores on the memory exercise than those with high protein levels but shorter deep sleep durations.

Starting, however, from low levels of beta-amyloid, sleep did not bring any relevant effect. The nocturnal benefits associated with cognitive reserve were therefore linked to the levels of the protein e not by age, physical activity, or level of education.

Not just memory loss, what Alzheimer’s entails

Recall that Alzheimer presents other symptoms beyond memory leak like

• changes in ability to develop and follow a schedule,
• difficulty working with numbers,
• difficulty completing family or work commitments,
• confusion with times or places,
• difficulty understanding visual images and spatial relationships,
• problems with words in both speaking and writing,
• not being able to find objects or not being able to retrace one’s steps,
• poor judgment,
• renunciation of passions,
• mood and personality changes.

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