"Mind-blowing" Alzheimer’s breakthrough: Two hours of sleep restored without clearing brain plaques

Scientists have uncovered an unexpected culprit behind sleep loss in Alzheimer’s disease: overactive immune cells in the brain. By temporarily removing these cells, researchers restored more than two hours of sleep per day in mice, revealing a promising new target for treatment. Scientists have discovered an unexpected reason why Alzheimer's disease disrupts sleep, and their findings suggest that the problem may be reversible. In experiments involving mice with Alzheimer's-like brain changes, researchers restored more than two hours of sleep per day without removing the amyloid plaques associated with the disease. The surprising discovery points to an overlooked culprit: the brain's own immune cells. Rather than simply protecting the brain from damage, these cells can trigger inflammation that interferes with healthy sleep.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky found that temporarily eliminating most of these immune cells allowed the mice to sleep longer and spend more time in the deep, restorative stages of sleep. The results suggest a potential new approach to treating one of the most disruptive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The findings, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, were reported by a team led by Shannon L. Macauley, Ph.D., an associate professor of physiology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and first author Nicholas J. Constantino, Ph.D., a recent doctoral graduate. Macauley described