Sleep deprivation, soluble Amyloid ɴand the glymphatic system. A neurotoxic triad during Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurological disorder and the most common type of dementia in the elderly population. It is mainly characterised by the appearance of small protein aggregates inside the brain, commonly known as amyloid beta (Aß) plaques. These Aß plaques form when the soluble Aß peptides oligomerize, a process which was found to occur more frequently when high concentrations of soluble Aß are present. Very recently, a system responsible for the clearance of normal metabolic waste products and thus also the soluble Aß protein was identified inside the brain. This system, termed the glymphatic system (GS), was shown much more active during sleep compared to awake. As such, during sleep the GS clears waste products from the brain which formed during normal daytime activities. In this research project, we wish to investigate in more detail the relationship between sleep (and more specifically sleep disturbances), the GS, soluble Aß and the formation of Aß plaques. As sleep disturbances were seen to coincide with Aß plaque formation, we wish to elucidate which one of the 2 occurs first and, how this influences the GS. This is of particular interest to the general population as modern lifestyle considers sleep as a necessary evil with many people working during the night and even more sleeping too little too few, which could possibly result in sleep debt and thus an increased risk of developing AD.

Keywords:ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Disciplines:Neurosciences, Biological and physiological psychology, Cognitive science and intelligent systems, Developmental psychology and ageing