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VIRTUALISATION Can't remember last time you had a good night's sleep?
VIRTUALISATION Can't remember last time you had a good night's sleep? | Can't remember last time you had a good night's sleep? |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Friday, 02 October 2009 | |
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According to the September 24, 2009 HealthCentral/Reuters article “Lack of sleep may play role in Alzheimer's: study,” the research performed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri is one of the first scientific studies that links lack of sleep with dementia. The conclusion of the study was published online on September 24, 2009 as “Amyloid-β Dynamics Are Regulated by Orexin and the Sleep-Wake Cycle” (DOI: 10.1126/science.1180962). Its authors, all from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, are: Jae-Eun Kang, Miranda M. Lim, Randall J. Bateman, James J. Lee, Liam P. Smyth, John R. Cirrito, Nobuhiro Fujiki, Seiji Nishino, and David M. Holtzman. The Science paper’s abstract states, “Amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation in the brain extracellular space is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The factors regulating this process are only partly understood. Aβ aggregation is a concentration-dependent process that is likely responsive to changes in brain interstitial fluid (ISF) levels of Aβ.” The Washington University researchers studied levels of amyloid beta (Aβ) in mice. Amyloid beta is a protein that collects in abnormal quantities in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. The mice were genetically engineered so they possessed Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The researchers found that amyloid beta levels were increased when the mice were awake, but decreased then the mice were asleep. In fact, when the Washington University team artificially induced the mice to stay away the amyloid beta levels increased. Specifically, they injected a compound that regulates sleep (orexin) into the brains of the mice, so the mice remained awake. Page two concludes. |
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