[C. Boyer]

C. Boyer  asked the Naked Scientists:

Dear Dr. Chris,
 
I enjoyed your show on circadian rhythms!

I am curious about the following: a friend's husband at Harvard does research on circadian rhythm disturbances in Alzheimer's patients, and I wondered if circadian rhythm changes can now definitively be used to differentiate various forms of dementia?
 
Sincerely,
C. Boyer
Illinois, USA

What do you think?

[RD]

The term "sundowning" refers to people who become increasingly confused at the end of the day and into the night.
Sundowning isn't a disease, but a symptom that often occurs in people with dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sundowning/HQ01463

Sundowning can also occur in vascular dementia, so it is not pathognomonic for Alzheimer's.