Only one night of bad sleep may increase levels of Alzheimer’s protein disease building up in the brain. Beta-amyloid protein is linked to Alzheimer’s, but is it a cause or consequence of the disorder?
In people with Alzheimer's disease, sticky clumps of beta-amyloid protein cluster in the brain, although the role these plaques play in the condition is unclear. It’s possible this protein helps cause the disease, or instead that the protein forms plaques in the brain in response to the disease.