Sleep problems ‘may be early indicator of Alzheimer’s’

The development of Alzheimer's disease could be foreshadowed at an early age by sleep disruptions, according to a new Washington University School of Medicine study.

Experiments carried out using mouse models revealed that when the first signs of Alzheimer's plaques appear in the brain, it creates detectable disruptions to the normal sleep-wake cycle.

This is because a protein called amyloid beta is a primary component of these plaques, meaning natural fluctuations in brain levels of this protein as subjects awaken and fall asleep are negated by the presence of the plaques.

Scientists will now assess whether sleep problems occur in patients who have plaques in the brain and other markers of Alzheimer's disease, but have not yet developed memory problems or other cognitive issues.

Senior author Dr David Holtzman, head of Washington University's department of neurology, added: "As we start to treat Alzheimer's patients before the onset of dementia, the presence or absence of sleep problems may be a rapid indicator of whether the new treatments are succeeding."

The Alzheimer's Society estimates that Alzheimer's disease is the cause of around 62 percent of the 650,000 dementia cases in England.