Clocking Off?

A paper in Plos Genetics from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York suggests a link between getting a 'good night's' sleep and the onset of Alzheimers disease (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/10/study-finds-link-between-alzheimers-and-circadian-clock). Alzheimers is the commonest cause of dementia. A suggested reason for this neurological condition is the accumulation of 'plaque', where neurons (nerve cells) become entangled in accumulated 'rogue' protein. The Plos Genetics study showed that people, with a disrupted circadian rhythm (the 24-hour, clock-like control of bodily activity), were especially likely to later develop Alzheimers. Whilst sleeping, immune cells cells in the brain (microglia) seek out and destroy the 'rogue' proteins. This process becomes less efficient in people with disrupted sleep patterns. So, plaque may build up, possibly causing the onset of Alzheimer symptoms. A neat idea but one that needs a bit more work, as not everyone is convinced about the plaque hypothesis.