The dangerous relationship between Alzheimer’s and naps

by time news

R. Ibarra

Madrid

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Is there a relationship between cognitive decline and excessive daytime napping? New research from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center suggests a possible connection, according to an article published in “Alzheimer’s and Dementia.”

According to the researchers, the connection appears to go both ways: Longer and more frequent naps were correlated with worse cognition at one year, and worse cognition was linked with longer and more frequent naps at one year.

Aron Buchman, a neurologist at Rush University Medical Center and co-author of the paper, said the study adds evidence to the changing view of Alzheimer’s as a purely cognitive disorder.

“We now know that pathology related to cognitive decline can cause other changes in function,” he says.

“It’s really a multi-system disorder, including also difficulty sleeping, changes in movement, changes in body composition, symptoms of depression, behavioral changes, etc.”

Longer and more frequent naps were correlated with worse cognition at one year, and worse cognition was associated with longer and more frequent naps at one year

The researchers followed more than 1,400 patients for up to 14 years as part of the Rush Memory and Aging Project and the Religious Order Study. Participants wore a sensor on their wrist that recorded activity continuously for up to 10 days, and returned once a year for cognitive testing. Any prolonged period of inactivity during the day, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., was considered a nap.

When the study began, more than 75% of the participants showed no signs of any cognitive impairment, 19.5% had mild cognitive impairment, and just over 4% had Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Daily naps increased by about 11 minutes per year among those who did not develop cognitive decline during follow-up. Naps doubled after a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and nearly tripled after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease dementia.

The study indicates that increased frequency and duration of daytime naps may be one of those symptoms.

The researchers also compared participants who had normal cognition at the start of the study but developed Alzheimer’s disease dementia with their counterparts whose thinking remained stable during the study. They found that older people who napped more than an hour a day had a 40% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Buchman stressed that the study does not imply that napping causes Alzheimer’s dementia, or vice versa.

“This is an observational study, so we can’t say ‘a causes b,'” he explains. “But we can say that they develop at the same time, and it is possible that the same pathologies contribute to both.”

Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the buildup of two proteins, amyloid beta and tau, in the brain. Although decline in cognitive function is the most well-known symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, this protein buildup can occur in various locations in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord, causing a variety of symptoms. The study indicates that increased frequency and duration of daytime naps may be one of those symptoms.

“Once the pathology and location have been identified, possible treatments can be worked on,” says Buchman. “There are proteins or genes that could prevent the accumulation of tau and beta, or there are potential ways to mitigate or slow down their accumulation.”

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