Even a sleepless night can become a trigger for the physiological processes that contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease - an ailment that in most cases assumes with the time the form of progressive dementia. This was established by scientists from the United States, whose research is devoted to the publication in Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

Employees of the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse and scientists from the Mount Sinai hospital complex have established that: deprivation of sleep even for only one night leads to immediate and significant growth of beta-amyloid, a protein substance that accumulates in the brain due to the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This protein "gets stuck" between neurons of the brain, in the place of its dislocation plaques are formed, preventing normal blood supply to the brain.

Scientists conducted an experiment involving 20 healthy people without a history of brain disorders. The subjects spent two nights in the laboratory: one with a good sleep, the other without sleep. After each night, they were brain scan.

As a result, it was found that in the conditions of insomnia in the brain of people there were extremely unfavorable processes. Scientists have recorded an increase in beta-amyloid in the brain regions responsible for memory and thinking - in the hippocampus and thalamus.

"Every time neurons work, it helps to produce beta-amyloid in the brain.

When people do not sleep, their neurons continue to "burn", which potentially leads to the accumulation of beta-amyloid, "noted the co-author of the project, Dr. Andrew Varga.

Sleep, according to scientists, helps remove from the brain unnecessary, "junk" substances containing beta-amyloid. During sleep, neurons decrease in size - this increases the space between cells and makes it easier for them to jump between dangerous particles.

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