Sleep Deprivation Leads to an “Older” Brain

The less you sleep, the older your brain will appear.  That’s the word from a new study released today.

The research, conducted by the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore, looked at 66 Chinese individuals who were at least 55 years old.  The subjects were followed over 10 years.

By looking into their structural MRI brain scans, which measure brain volume and neuropsychological assessments, and factoring in the hours of sleep they recorded, the researchers found that those who slept fewer hours showed evidence of faster ventricle enlargement and decline in cognitive performance.

Past research has shown that faster brain ventricle enlargement is a market for cognitive decline and the diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The researchers say they hope the study paves the way for future work on sleep loss and its contribution to cognitive decline, including dementia.

Source: Channel News Asia