Disturbed sleep & AD

[Jamal]

Interesting study of REM sleep and blood brain barrier function. According to this, short afternoon cat naps that involve REM sleep could have an important effect on the BBB.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23713739

REM sleep restriction increased blood-brain barrier permeability to Evans blue in the whole brain as compared to both control groups. Brief periods of sleep recovery rapidly and effectively restored the severe alteration of blood-brain barrier function by reducing blood-to-brain transfer of Evans blue. The mechanism of blood-brain barrier breakdown involved increased caveolae formation at brain endothelial cells. In conclusion, our data suggest that REM sleep regulates the physical barrier properties of the blood-brain barrier.

[circular]

That is amazing Jamal, thanks.

[Gilgamesh]

Hey Jamal, thanks for the references! The REM study is very cool! When I take siestas I start dreaming within minutes, so even if the glymphatic clean-up isn't happening (we still need to figure that part out), something interesting is happening!

GB

[Jamal]

I hope more research is done on this topic, both to confirm this study, and to find out more details of the BBB. It's a fascinating issue with all kinds of hypothetical ramifications. For instance drug delivery through the blood brain barrier is a problem for lots of drugs. Can you just deprive people of REM sleep to help let drugs through?

Also, I've read that a lot of endorphins can't normally cross the BBB. Are things like bipolar disorder related to changes in permeability of the BBB and to REM sleep or lack of it? Who knows, but fascinating to speculate.

[Gina99]

You all are going to think I am crazy but...I am going off topic here...Not sure where to put this,
but in going back and re-reading this whole thread, pausing at Doctor's Lost link of this study regarding apnea and AD:
http://www.bumc.bu.edu/pulmonary/files/ ... tlieb1.pdf

and within this study is the following reference that caught my eye:

Despite the
earlier age at onset of OSAH, some pathologic changes associated with AD can be observed even in
asymptomatic carriers of the APOE E4 allele 26

In pursing this reference 26 led me to a google book:

http://books.google.com/books?id=7zs5gH ... in&f=false

In Google books only part of the book is there, but it reads like a textbook and there was some reference to Estrogen and APOE and several other topics that we have been posting on. It's title (in the event my crazy links don't work):
Functional Neurobiology of Aging
edited by Patrick R. Hof, Charles V. Mobbs
The bad news: the e-book is $232.
Anyway, this book really pulled me in, so to speak...it's only a few hundred pages...with about 300 missing.

[Silverlining]

My cheap blue blockers came in the mail and I've worn them for four nights starting at around 6pm. I have been ZONKED OUT every night. Now, I have to include a disclaimer to say that I've been on a BIG road trip for two weeks (3,461 miles!) and arrived home Sunday, the night I tried my glasses, sooooo, there could be a correlation. But, I kind of doubt it. Anyway, for few bucks, little hassle and making my husband smile every time he looks like at me, it's worth a try.

[Kathleen1]

I love to sleep. I can titrate the caffeine to make it optimal. However, work and procrastination leads me to shortchange my sleep about once a week. Last night it was only 4 hours. I know this is wrong, but it is hard to know how to prioritize this badness. Is it minor and "so what" or should I be more strict and keep with the 8 hours 99days out of 100? I never make it up. Is it a short stress that doesn't make much difference/maybe is compensated for by the excellent diet and almost good enough exercise or am I shaving off brain that I cannot get back.

[Stavia]

Kathleen thats an excellent question. How strict do we have to be? How fragile are we actually? Its hard finding a balance because today is also as important as tomorrow.
I guess you can only do what you can do honey. And you're already ahead of the pack with your diet n excercise (I'm compromising the latter atm. Can't do everything perfectly every day. )

[Stavia]

And Silverlining, I'm so pleased! I've been slack with mine and my sleep has suffered.

[Tincup]

Kathleen,

My opinion is it is the "drip of days," as my grandmother used to say.

In Dr. Bredesen's program, he pays homage to this as well. Everything doesn't have to be perfect. You just need to do enough things right to raise your "health" level above a threshold.