Alzheimer's: study links disease to sleep loss and circadian rhythm for the first time

Plaques forming in the brains of Alzheimer's patients could be caused by circadian rhythm disturbances, according to new research.

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A new study found that the protein plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease can build up in the brain if sleep is interrupted, because it affects the cells that normally destroy them. The immune system can remove protein plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease, and this mechanism could be affected by sleep loss.

The circadian rhythm is a kind of "internal clock", which controls sleep and a wide range of other bodily processes over a cycle of approximately 24 hours. Doctors have long observed that the people with Alzheimer's disease have sleep disturbances and disruption of the circadian rhythm, but it is unclear to what extent this disruption could be a cause of the condition itself. (Read also: Scientists discover a rare and aggressive form of Alzheimer's, which begins around age 40)

A systematic review

A research team has discovered a possible mechanism by which the beta-amyloid plaques, which are found in large numbers in the brains of people with Alzheimer's, may be related to sleep. Researchers think plaques are removed by macrophages, immune cells that destroy foreign material, according to the body's daily rhythms.

They came to this conclusion after several years of studying and researching beta-amyloid plaques. Scientists have also identified one class of proteins related to the circadian rhythm, called heparan sulfates, which may signal macrophages when to clear the plaques; these proteins control many processes, but are typically associated with inflammation.

Understanding the timing and mechanisms of the plaque shedding process could lead to new treatments for some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The buildup of beta-amyloid plaques increases and decreases in healthy brains, but this oscillation can stop as people age, leading to the formation of more plaques.

A thorny question in Alzheimer's research is whether beta-amyloid plaques are a cause or a symptom of the disease. Some treatments that eliminate them, in fact, do not seem to relieve the symptoms of the disease, which has puzzled researchers, who argue that their discovery could have implications regardless, since the macrophages also remove other proteins associated with Alzheimer's, such as twisted tau fibers.

Whatever the exact role of beta-amyloid plaques in disease, their accumulation is a risk factor for Alzheimer's. Hence, this research underlines the important role of circadian rhythms, and how crucial sleep is and being able to rest well.

Photos: Plos Genetics

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