Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease often accompanied with disruption of sleep-wake cycle. The sleep-wake cycle is controlled by mechanisms involving internal timekeeping (circadian) regulation. The aim of our present pilot study was to assess the circadian system in patients with mild form of AD in their home environment. In the study, 13 elderly AD patients and 13 age-matched healthy control subjects (the patient's spouses) were enrolled. Sleep was recorded for 21 days by sleep diaries in all participants and checked by actigraphy in 4 of the AD patient/control couples. The samples of saliva and buccal mucosa were collected every 4 hours during the same 24 h-interval to detect melatonin and clock gene (PER1 and BMAL1) mRNA levels, respectively. The AD patients exhibited significantly longer inactivity interval during the 24 h and significantly higher number of daytime naps than controls. Daily profiles of melatonin levels exhibited circadian rhythms in both groups. Compared with controls, decline in amplitude of the melatonin rhythm in AD patients was not significant, however, in AD patients more melatonin profiles were dampened or had atypical waveforms. The clock genes PER1 and BMAL1 were expressed rhythmically with high amplitudes in both groups and no significant differences in phases between both groups were detected. Our results suggest moderate differences in functional state of the circadian system in patients with mild form of AD compared with healthy controls which are present in conditions of their home dwelling.

• MeSH
• aktigrafie MeSH
• Alzheimerova nemoc komplikace   patofyziologie   MeSH
• bydlení MeSH
• chorobopisy MeSH
• cirkadiánní proteiny Period biosyntéza   genetika   MeSH
• cirkadiánní rytmus fyziologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• melatonin analýza   MeSH
• messenger RNA analýza   biosyntéza   MeSH
• poruchy spánku z vnitřních příčin komplikace   patofyziologie   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• sliny chemie   MeSH
• studie případů a kontrol MeSH
• transkripční faktory ARNTL biosyntéza   genetika   MeSH
• ústní sliznice chemie   MeSH
• životní prostředí MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• BMAL1 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• cirkadiánní proteiny Period MeSH
• melatonin MeSH
• messenger RNA MeSH
• PER1 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• transkripční faktory ARNTL MeSH