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Counting mice after sleep study letdown

Rose Gollop was intrigued by a study that has found a link between Alzheimer’s and the circadian clock, and discovered an important detail

LettersSun 13 Feb 2022 18.34 GMT

As a woman of a certain age who regularly finds sleep elusive, I am always alert to research reports linking insomnia with Alzheimer’s disease. I seek reassurance, usually in vain, but your report did seem promising at first glance (Study finds link between Alzheimer’s and circadian clock, 10 February).

Wishing to know more, I looked up the original research paper, which was long and mostly beyond my comprehension.

However, way down in the results section the authors disclosed that the research subjects were mice. It might have been useful for your readers to know this, before hopes were raised prematurely. Perhaps I’ll give up counting sheep for now, and try mice instead.