Protein Misfolding in Alzheimer s Disease and Sleep Related Disorders

Abstract

Some studies have indicated a relationship between the development of Alzheimers Disease (AD) and having obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), while others argue that AD itself leads to sleep disturbances and sleep disordered breathing. Whether peripheral due to the direct effects of abnormal protein aggregation or central due to the systemic effects of Beta - A aggregation in functionally important areas of the central nervous system, there seems to be an association between misfolded protein and sleep disordered breathing. These findings from studies into another proteopathy lends further credence to the revelations reported from the prion related research and brings us closer to understanding the disease mechanism behind both OSA and protein misfolding. The conglomeration of findings from studies into proteopathies clearly provides significant impetus into continuing research in proteopathies to improve our understanding of not only sleep disordered breathing but the enigma that is proteopathy.