A closer look at sleep, tau and the formation of memories

Research reported by UC Berkeley on September 11 connects tau protein, deep-sleep brain activity and memory. Published in Nature Neuroscience, it concerns how activity travels across the sleeping brain.

Electrical recordings compared sleep in younger and older adults, while scans measured tau. In older participants, more frontal-cortex tau was associated with slow waves that travelled shorter distances and were less coordinated.

Participants learned word associations in the evening and were tested the next day. Those with more isolated waves retained less information. Follow-up measurements showed increasing tau and worsening wave coordination occurring together in some participants.

The older participants discussed in the report did not have Alzheimer’s disease, and their memory changes were within the normal range for their age. The researchers also stressed that the relationship does not prove which change comes first. This is evidence about a possible biological connection, rather than proof that a particular sleep intervention prevents Alzheimer’s or reverses memory loss.

Sources:

• Berkeley News: Deep-sleep changes and Alzheimer’s-related protein buildup