In older people without dementia, excessive daytime sleepiness is believed to be associated with the increased accumulation of a brain protein amyloid, a marker for Alzheimer’s disease. Treating people with excessive daytime sleepiness may help prevent the possible development of dementia.
American researchers from the Mayo Clinic have demonstrated the association between excessive daytime sleepiness (the “big” nap) and the accumulation of amyloid β protein in the brain, a biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease.
By identifying people with excessive daytime sleepiness early, treatment could be offered in time, the progression of cerebral amyloidosis could be reduced and the development of dementia could be prevented. Their results are published in the JAMA of 12 March 2018.
Aging and drowsiness
Aging is generally associated with excessive daytime sleepiness, which is itself linked to cognitive decline in older people. This type of drowsiness is defined as a difficulty in maintaining the desired wakefulness or as a complaint of an excessive amount of sleep.
Several studies have already shown an association between excessive daytime sleepiness and increased risk of dementia, and more particularly the association between excessive daytime sleepiness and pronounced cortical thinning in age-sensitive regions, which suggests accelerated aging. of the brain.
Excessive daytime sleepiness and Alzheimer’s disease
In practice, the accumulation of the amyloid β protein occurs quite early in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s disease. However, sleep can promote its elimination and, conversely, disturbed sleep can contribute to its accumulation while participating in the increase in cerebral synaptic activity contributing to the accumulation of amyloid β protein.
A vicious circle that we could stop according to American researchers. They found in an observational study conducted between 2009 and 2016 in 283 people aged over 70 and not suffering from dementia, that excessive daytime sleepiness was associated with an increased accumulation of amyloid β protein in sensitive regions. of the brain: the cingulate gyrus and the precuneus. After exuding sleep apnea, which can be a factor in excessive sleepiness.
Prevent dementia
It follows from these observations that people with excessive daytime sleepiness are more vulnerable to the changes in the brain that occur in Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers plan to do new work to determine whether excessive daytime sleepiness is a clinical marker of increased sleep instability, synaptic overload, or neurodegeneration of wakefulness-promoting centers.
Identifying people with excessive daytime sleepiness early could treat their underlying sleep disorders and prevent the development of cerebral amyloidosis.
Youth which is awake and old age which sleeps are both …
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