Lack of sleep: More risk of Alzheimer's disease

Sleep deprivation can affect memory later in life and even be associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. That's according to a study conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, according that more sleep is of poor quality, and more likely to suffer from Alzheimer's disease are high. "the sleep disturbance causes the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain, a marker characteristic of this disease," said the author of the study, Yo-El Ju.Pour reach these conclusions, the scientists analyzed data on 100 people aged 45 to 80 years, whose cognitive functions were normal, but who had a family history Alzheimer's disease. They found that those who woke up more than five times an hour had a greater accumulation of amyloid plaques than others. In other words, people who spend less than 85% of their time spent sleeping sleep are more likely to develop Alzheimer's. This does not mean that insomnia is a risk factor. "Further research is needed, including whether it is changes in the brain caused by Alzheimer's that disturb sleep, or if it's the opposite," said Yo-El Ju.Les results of these work will be presented at the annual conference of the American Academy of Neurology in the spring.