Could sleep molecules lead to a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease?

A group of researchers from King’s College London have found that the level of fatty molecules that induce sleep are higher in people with amyloid in the brain, the peptide used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. The amyloid peptide goes onto form plaques in the brain that are toxic to nerve cells. Plaque accumulation is thought to start many years before the appearance of symptoms such as memory loss. Drugs that have been developed so far to target amyloid have not been successful in restoring memory. The study was published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association and researchers hope that