Sleep apnea may be linked to higher levels of Alzheimer's biomarker in brain

MINNEAPOLIS - People who are witnessed by a bed partner to have stopped breathing during sleep may have higher accumulations of an Alzheimer's disease biomarker called tau in an area of the brain that helps with memory, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 71st Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, May 4 to 10, 2019.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that involves frequent events of stopped breathing during sleep, although an apnea may also be a single event of paused breathing during sleep.

Tau, a protein that forms into tangles, is found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

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