New research in mice identifies overactive immune cells in the brain as an unexpected culprit behind sleep loss in Alzheimer's disease. Temporarily removing these cells restored more than two hours of sleep per day, according to a report in ScienceDaily.
The finding is significant because sleep disruption is a common and distressing symptom of Alzheimer's, and current treatments do not directly address it. The study suggests that targeting these immune cells could offer a new way to improve sleep, and the authors describe it as a promising new target for treatment.
The work is still in mice, so more research is needed to see if the same mechanism applies in humans. Still, the results open a new avenue for therapy that may work independently of clearing brain plaques, which has been a major focus of Alzheimer's research.