
Sleep Quality Cited as Potential Indicator of Alzheimer Disease Onset
Impaired sleep was associated with a higher rate of future beta amyloid accumulation, a potential catalyst of Alzheimer disease onset, according to study findings.
In examining risk of
When distinguishing what drives β-amyloid accumulation, researchers of
Researchers sought to test this hypothesis by assessing baseline measures of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep slow-wave activity (SWA) and sleep quality (efficiency). In the study, 32 healthy older adults (mean [SD] age, 75.5 [4.3] years), part of the
Across the multiyear study, researchers periodically tracked the growth rate of β-amyloid in each participant's brain via PET scans and then compared these levels with one’s sleep profile.
In the study findings, both the proportion of NREM SWA below 1 Hz and the measurement of sleep quality predicted the speed, or slope, of subsequent β-amyloid deposition over time, with these associations remaining robust after stratifying for additional cofactors of interest, such as age, sex, and sleep apnea. The researchers note that measures were specific; no other macro- or microphysiological architecture metrics of sleep were as sensitive.
"Rather than waiting for someone to develop dementia many years down the road, we are able to assess how sleep quality predicts changes in β-amyloid plaques across multiple timepoints," said lead study author Joseph Winer, PhD student in the Center for Human Sleep Science at UC Berkeley. “In doing so, we can measure how quickly this toxic protein accumulates in the brain over time, which can indicate the beginning of AD.”
In addressing next steps, Walker and Winer note they will look into assessing the impact of an intervention that would boost the quality of sleep among study participants who are at high risk of developing AD. "Our hope is that if we intervene, then in 3 or 4 years, the buildup is no longer where we thought it would be because we improved their sleep," concluded Winer.
Reference
Winer JR, Mander BA, Kumar S, et al. Sleep disturbance forecasts β-amyloid accumulation across subsequent years. Published online September 3, 2020. Curr Biol. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.017
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