The reason is that apnea causes hypertension and lowers oxygen concentration, which becomes a significant burden on cerebral vascular stress. Additionally, normal sleep is fundamental for memory, intelligence, and attention, so much so that chronic lack of sleep – which causes fatigue and depression – is a frequent cause.
It has recently been demonstrated that during deep sleep, the volume of cerebral fluid increases by 60%, which represents a true “power wash” of all brain metabolism waste, including Beta-amyloid. Thus, if there is no normal sleep, there is no way to remove the waste.
This is confirmed by Colombian doctor Gustavo Román, from the National University of Colombia and a highly prestigious neurologist worldwide, whose research on degenerative brain diseases has earned him recognition from several of his colleagues in one of the most complex branches of science.
The scientist was recently in Bogotá and visited the National University of Colombia, where he participated in the lecture series “Footprints that Inspire”. There, the UN News Agency spoke with him about the advances and challenges of his research on Alzheimer’s.
When asked about the role of Beta-amyloid and Tau proteins in the development of this disorder, Gustavo Román points out that it was thought that Alzheimer’s was solely due to the accumulation of a normal protein called Beta-amyloid. “However, treatments that eliminate it, including a vaccine, remove the substance from the brain, but do not improve cognitive conditions, so something is still missing there. The second protein is called Tau , it hasn’t been studied as much, so it may be a bit more important,” he explains.
A third factor that may influence the disease, according to this professor of neurology, is damage to cerebral circulation, which is very important, especially because there are treatments for this. Thus, hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol can be treated to improve the cognitive condition of patients.
Source: Universia
