About this Research Topic
In AD patients, alterations in daily activity rhythms and body temperature rhythms are associated with reduced expression of neuropeptides in the master circadian pacemaker in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Circadian rhythms are controlled by transcriptional-translational feedback loops of circadian clock genes, including the essential gene, Bmal1, and others. Age-related attenuation of molecular clock gene rhythms, in the SCN and other brain regions, may increase the risk of AD, because experimental findings in rodents indicate that loss of Bmal1 leads to neurodegeneration. Rodent studies also reveal that enforced wakefulness during normal sleep time induces expression of Per1 and Per2 in the cortex, suggesting a link between sleep disruption and abnormal circadian rhythms.
This Research Topic will explore the role of alterations in sleep-wake rhythms in neurodegeneration as well as the potential therapeutic benefits of enhancing sleep and improving circadian rhythms. Articles reporting new research findings or reviews on topics of related interest are invited for contribution to this Research Topic.
Keywords: sleep, Alzheimer's disease, circadian, neurodegeneration, amyloid-beta
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