In Defense of a Good Night's Sleep

By Jonathan Springston, Associate Managing Editor, AHC Media

A group of scientists at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) are preparing a study that seeks to clarify links that might exist between lack of sleep and Alzheimer’s disease.

For decades, researchers have theorized a link, but two recent discoveries gave more weight to the idea. In 2009, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that the sticky amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's develop more quickly in the brains of sleep-deprived mice. In 2013, a team discovered how a lack of sleep could be speeding the development of those Alzheimer's plaques.

Now, OHSU scientists will study the glymphatic system, which allows the brain to remove toxins, including those that form Alzheimer's plaques. Researchers will utilize one of the world’s most powerful MRI machines, a unit so sensitive it can indicate the moment the glymphatic system turns on.

AHC Media publications often explore the subject of Alzheimer’s disease, including causes, prevention, and treatments. In the Feb. 15 issue of Internal Medicine Alert, Seema Gupta, MD, MSPH, digs deeper into a study that found higher levels of estrogen can increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older women with type 2 diabetes.

For even more information, check out AHC’s monthly Neurology Alert, an in-depth, all around resource for all things neurology, and the monthly OB/GYN Alert, providing a wide variety of knowledge about women’s health.