Tau tangles may hijack brain's energy, linking early sleep loss to Alzheimer's changes

Scientists at the University of Kentucky have uncovered a new reason why people with Alzheimer's disease often struggle with sleep, long before memory loss begins. The study, led by researchers at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, reveals that a protein called tau "hijacks" the brain's energy supply, keeping the brain in a state of overactive excitability that prevents restorative rest.