Poor Sleep Linked to Alzheimer’s in Study of Brain Scans

Photo Credit: BSIP/UIG/Getty ImagesSleeping poorly or not getting enough rest may result in a type of brain abnormality associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a study showed.

Brain images of adults with an average age of 76 found that those who said they slept less or poorly had increased build-up of beta-amyloid plaques, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, according to research published today in JAMA Neurology. None of those in the study had been diagnosed with the disease.

Though more studies are needed to determine whether poor sleep increases plaque or the plaque causes sleep troubles, the findings suggest another way people might be able to identify early changes that foreshadow Alzheimer’s. Research released at the Alzheimer’s meeting in July suggested that memory lapses may be one of the earliest discernible signs of the disease.

“This is part of a larger message that healthy sleep is an important contributor to health in general and especially to successfully aging,” said study author Adam Spira, an assistant professor in the Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, in an Oct. 18 telephone interview. “It may be an important component in preventing Alzheimer’s disease, but that remains to be seen.”