September 5, 2012

expert reaction to new research into sleep disturbance and Alzheimer’s in mice

Scientists writing in Science Translational Medicine found that mice with the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease have disrupted sleep.

Prof Gordon Wilcock, Professor of Clinical Geratology at the University of Oxford, said:

“People should not worry about this. Sleep disturbance has many causes, and in most people it is unlikely that it is related to Alzheimer’s. In addition, a mouse model is not truly equivalent of Alzheimer’s in humans.”

‘Disruption of the Sleep-Wake Cycle and Diurnal Fluctuation of Amyloid-β in Mice with Alzheimerʼs Disease Pathology’ by J.H. Roh et al., published in Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday 5th September.