Why does poor sleep and high blood pressure increase the risk of dementia?

Scientists have discovered the problems BrainThe ability to clear toxins, which they suggest, may be impaired. Sleep and higher blood pressure increase the risk of dementia,

In a healthy brain, the glymphatic system Clears out poisons and wasteIt flows cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) – the clear liquid that supports the brain – through the brain through small channels around blood vessels. This fluid collects toxins and keeps them out of the brain. clean and healthy,

But if this process doesn’t work properly, it can increase risk of dementia later in life. According to a study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, less sleep and cardiovascular problems affect the ability of the glymphatic system to function.

First author Hui Hong said: “We already have evidence that small vessel disease in the brain accelerates diseases like Alzheimer’s, and now we have a possible explanation why.

“Disruption of the glymphatic system is likely to impair our ability to clear the brain of the amyloid and tau that cause Alzheimer’s disease.”

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, is linked to the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain. In Alzheimer’s, amyloid sticks to the brain and forms plaques, eventually causing brain cells to die, while tau becomes tangled inside brain neurons – both causing the onset of dementia symptoms.

Another common form of dementia is vascular dementia, which is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain and affects around 180,000 people in the UK, according to the NHS.

The researchers wanted to see whether cerebral small vessel disease and other cardiovascular risk factors damage the glymphatic system – and whether that increases the risk of dementia.

Study, published in journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s AssociationAI was used to analyze MRI scans of nearly 40,000 adults in the UK Biobank.

The analysis revealed several risk factors that predicted dementia, including how well CSF flow in the brain.

Further analysis revealed that multiple cardiovascular risk factors impaired glymphatic function and, as a result, increased the risk of dementia. This was partly caused by cerebral small vessel disease, which is visible on MRI scans.

Researchers suggest several ways to reduce the risk of dementia. One is to improve sleep.

This is because sleep plays an important role in glymphatic function, and the study authors suggested that disrupted sleep patterns impair the brain’s ability to clear toxins and waste.

Another approach is to treat vascular problems such as high blood pressure, which increases the risk of small vessel disease and vascular dementia.

Professor Marcus, who leads the stroke research group at the University of Cambridge, said: “At least a quarter of all the risk of dementia is due to common risk factors such as blood pressure and smoking.

“If these impair glymphatic function, we can intervene. Treating high blood pressure or encouraging people to stop smoking would be an achievable way to help the glymphatic system function better.”

It is estimated that 982,000 people in the UK currently suffer from dementia, but more than a third of people with the condition do not have a diagnosis.