Scientists have found amyloid plaques, which are a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, in the brains of people with sleep apnea.
In a new study, French scientists scanned the brains of older adults. They found an association between sleep apnea and the presence of amyloid plaques and other biological changes associated with inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease.
The scientists published their findings in the journal JAMA Neurology. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where a person involuntarily pauses breathing while asleep.
The most common form of this condition is called obstructive sleep apnea. It occurs when a person’s upper airway becomes blocked as they sleep.