According to a study published in the journal Neurology, people who have difficulty breathing while asleep (sleep apnea) are more likely to develop memory problems early on.
US scientists checked medical databases involving 2,400 people aged over 55.
Those who said they suffered from sleep apnea reported problems with their memory and thinking skills a decade earlier than people who slept well.
Further work is under way to clarify the link. It adds to growing evidence poor sleep is associated with illness.
Scientists involved in a large Alzheimer’s research project in the US looked specifically at volunteers who said they experienced sleep apnea.
In this condition the muscles around the throat relax and can block the airways, making it hard to breathe.
Patients often snore loudly and wake up several times a night.
Researchers are concerned in some cases this could mean vital organs – including the brain – are at risk of not getting the oxygen they require.
Scientists found people with the condition were more likely to report memory and thinking problems in their late 70s, on average 10 years before those who breathed easily while asleep.
The small number of patients who received treatment – using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that keeps the airways open and forces air in – did not report memory problems early on.
Researchers are now conducting larger studies to see whether CPAP therapy could help preserve memory and thinking power.
According to a recent research, there may be a link between rare blood type AB and memory loss in later life.
People with AB blood, found in 4% of the population, appear more likely to develop thinking and memory problems than those with other blood groups.
The study, published in Neurology, builds on previous research showing blood type may influence heart risk.
A charity said the best way to keep the brain healthy was a balanced diet, regular exercise and not smoking.
The research team led by Dr. Mary Cushman, of the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, analyzed data from about 30,000 US citizens aged 45 and above.
People with AB blood appear more likely to develop thinking and memory problems than those with other blood groups
It identified 495 participants who had developed thinking and memory problems, or cognitive impairment, during the three-year study.
They were compared to 587 people with no cognitive problems.
People with AB blood type made up 6% of the group who developed cognitive impairment, which is higher than the 4% found in the general population.
The study supported the idea that having a certain blood group, such as O, may give a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, which in turn protected the brain, the researchers said.
“Our study looks at blood type and risk of cognitive impairment, but several studies have shown that factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes increase the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia,” said Dr. Mary Cushman.
“Blood type is also related to other vascular conditions like stroke, so the findings highlight the connections between vascular issues and brain health. More research is needed to confirm these results.”
US researchers have found a clue to why memory deteriorates with age.
Experiments on mice suggested low levels of protein RbAp48 in the brain may be responsible for memory loss.
It is hoped the discovery could lead to treatments to reverse forgetfulness, but it is a big leap from the mouse to a human brain.
The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, said age-related memory loss was a separate condition to Alzheimer’s disease.
Experiments on mice suggested low levels of protein RbAp48 in the brain may be responsible for memory loss
The team at Columbia University Medical Centre started by analyzing the brains of eight dead people, aged between 22 and 88, who had donated their organ for medical research.
They found 17 genes whose activity level differed with age. One contained instructions for making a protein called RbAp48, which became less active with time.
Young mice genetically engineered to have low RbAp48 levels performed as poorly as much older mice in memory tests.
Using a virus to boost RbAp48 in older mice appeared to reverse the decline and boosted their memory.
One of the researchers, Prof. Eric Kandel, said: “The fact that we were able to reverse age-related memory loss in mice is very encouraging.
“At the very least, it shows that this protein is a major factor, and it speaks to the fact that age-related memory loss is due to a functional change in neurons of some sort. Unlike with Alzheimer’s, there is no significant loss of neurons.”
It is still not know what impacted adjusting levels of RbAp48 in the far more complex human brain or even it if is possible to manipulate levels safely.
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