Poor Sleep a Factor in Alzheimer's and Dementia? - Matt Walker August 26, 2009

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/08/11/Matt_Walker_Secrets_of_the_Sleeping_Brain

UC Berkeley professor Matt Walker considers how poor quality of sleep might possibly contribute to the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in elderly people.

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Why do we sleep? Although science has yet to explain the reason we spend one-third of our lives in this bizarre state, an exciting theory suggests that sleep can solidify newly learned memories by rewiring the architecture of brain.

Emerging neuroscience evidence also indicates that sleep can intelligently associate and integrate new memories together, performing a kind of "sleep-dependent alchemy." This phenomenon may fuel creative human insights, often reflected in dream content.

In addition to memory benefits, recent findings also suggest that sleep can "refresh" emotional brain reactivity, smoothing away the rough edges from our prior waking concerns, thereby allowing rational next-day decisions.

Thinking about skimping on your Zs? You'd better tune in to hear what UC Berkeley's Matt Walker has to say about it first! - Ask A Scientist

Matt Walker is a Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of California Berkeley.