Biological clock

Circadian rhythm is a natural internal process that follows a 24-hour cycle that controls sleep, digestion, appetite, and even immunity.

Factors such as outside light, eating a regular diet, and being physically active together help keep the biological clock working in sync. Conversely, doing little things like staying up a little later than usual, or even eating at a different time than usual, can disrupt your internal "clock."

Mental health and cancer

Scientists from New York State University's Institute of Applied Sciences advise that the circadian rhythm should be maintained properly, as disruption of this cycle has been linked to a number of health problems, including mental health disorders, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Research shows that for patients with Alzheimer's disease, circadian rhythm disturbances are typically seen as changes in a patient's sleep habits that occur long before the disorder becomes fully apparent. The condition worsens in the later stages of the disease. But it is still not fully understood whether lack of sleep causes Alzheimer's disease, or whether it occurs as a result of the disease.

brain plaques

Researchers are constantly finding a common component in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease is a buildup of proteins called "beta-amyloid", which tend to clump together in the brain and form "plaques" in the brain. Beta-amyloid plaques disrupt the function of brain cells, which in turn can lead to cognitive problems, such as memory loss. In normal brains, the protein is cleaned up periodically before it has a chance to cause problems.

biological rhythm around the clock

The results of the latest study showed that the cells responsible for removing beta-amyloid plaques and keeping the brain healthy also follow a 24-hour circadian rhythm, which means that if the circadian rhythm is disturbed, it may make it more difficult to remove the harmful plaque cells associated with Alzheimer's disease. .

macrophages

To conduct their research, the team of researchers specifically examined macrophages, which are also called macrophages and which are generally circulating in most connective tissues in the body, including the brain. Macrophages mainly eat bacteria or even proteins that are not formed properly, which can be considered a threat to the body.

To understand whether these immune cells follow a circadian rhythm, the researchers used macrophages taken from mice and cultured in the laboratory. And when they fed the cells with beta-amyloid, they found that the ability of macrophages to get rid of beta-amyloid changed over a 24-hour period.

Protein "proteoglycans"

It has also been shown that certain proteins on the surface of macrophages, called proteoglycans, have a similar circadian rhythm throughout the day. It turned out that when the amount of proteoglycans was at its lowest, the ability to clear beta-amyloid proteins was at its highest, meaning that when macrophages had a lot of proteoglycans, they did not clear out beta-amyloid. The researchers also discovered that when the phagocytes lost their normal circadian rhythm, they ceased to perform the function of disposing of beta-amyloid protein as usual.

brain immune cells

Although the latest study used macrophages from the body of mice in general and not from the brain specifically, results from other studies had shown that microglia - brain immune cells (which are also one type of macrophage in the brain) - have Also a daily biological rhythm. The circadian clock regulates everything related to the function and formation of microglia as well as their immune response. It's possible that microglial circadian rhythms are also responsible for controlling neural connectivity — which can ultimately contribute to worsening symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, or even sleep problems that older adults can experience.

More conflicting results

But in studies that have looked at whole organisms (such as mice) rather than just cells, findings on the relationship between Alzheimer's disease and circadian rhythms have been more conflicting, as they often fail to capture all the problems found in humans with Alzheimer's disease, as is The point is that only certain systems or proteins that can be affected by Alzheimer's disease are studied, which suggests that they may not provide a completely accurate representation of how Alzheimer's disease occurs in humans.

Alzheimer's disease exacerbation

In studies of people with Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found that poor circadian rhythms can worsen the condition as the disease progresses. Other research findings have shown that disruption of the circadian rhythm is linked to sleep problems and Alzheimer's disease, along with the brain being less able to clean the brain (including beta-amyloid), potentially contributing more to memory problems. But it's difficult to determine whether the disruption of the circadian rhythm (and the problems it causes) may have occurred as a result of Alzheimer's disease, or if it was part of the cause of the disease.

Quality sleep is a must

If replicated in humans, the study's findings will likely give a step closer to understanding one of the ways in which circadian rhythms are linked to Alzheimer's disease. Ultimately, it is widely agreed that sleep is important for many aspects of human health, so protecting the circadian rhythm is important and necessary to maintain a good state of mind, psyche, mood and overall health.