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Poorer sleep may indicate Alzheimer's disease risk

Poorer sleep was associated with greater Alzheimer’s disease pathology, as indicated by cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, according to recent findings.

“Previous evidence has shown that sleep may influence the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease in various ways,” study researcher Barbara B. Bendlin, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in a press release. “For example, disrupted sleep or lack of sleep may lead to amyloid plaque buildup because the brain's clearance system kicks into action during sleep. Our study looked not only for amyloid but for other biological markers in the spinal fluid as well.”

To assess associations between sleep quality and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, researchers evaluated 101 individuals with parental history of Alzheimer’s disease who were cognitively normal. Study participants completed sleep assessments and CSF collection.

Poorer subjective sleep quality, more sleep problems, and daytime somnolence were associated with greater Alzheimer’s disease pathology, which was indicated by lower CSF A42/A40 and higher t-tau/A42, p-tau/A42, MCP-1/A42, and YKL-40/A42.

Sleep was not significantly associated with neurofilament light or neurogranin, according to researchers.

“It’s still unclear if sleep may affect the development of the disease or if the disease affects the quality of sleep. More research is needed to further define the relationship between sleep and these biomarkers,” Bendlin said in the release. “There are already many effective ways to improve sleep. It may be possible that early intervention for people at risk of Alzheimer's disease may prevent or delay the onset of the disease.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: Bendlin reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.