How Deep Sleep May Help The Brain Clear Alzheimer's Toxins

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NPR, Oct. 31, '19. The brain waves generated during deep sleep appear to trigger a cleaning system in the brain that protects it against Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Electrical signals known as slow waves appear just before a pulse of fluid washes through the brain, presumably removing toxins associated with Alzheimer's, researchers reported Thursday in the journal Science.

The finding could help explain a puzzling link between sleep and Alzheimer's, says Laura Lewis, an author of the study and an assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering at Boston University.

"Some disruption to the way sleep is working could potentially be contributing to the decline in brain health," Lewis says.

The finding also suggests that people might be able to reduce their risk of Alzheimer's by ensuring that they get high quality sleep, says William Jagust, a professor of public health and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley who was not involved in the study.

Scientists are already testing other lifestyle changes, like diet and exercise, to protect brain health. And sleep should be "high on the list" of measures worth trying, he says.

The study comes after decades of questions about the link between sleep and Alzheimer's.

Studies show that people with Alzheimer's often have sleep problems. And there's growing evidence that people with sleep problems are more vulnerable to Alzheimer's.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/10/31/775068218/how-deep-sleep-may-help-the-brain-clear-alzheimers-toxins