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Sleep Disorders Associated With Alzheimer's Disease: A Perspective
Anna Brzecka1, Jerzy Leszek2, Ghulam Md Ashraf3
1Department of Pulmonology and Lung Cancer, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
|June 16, 2018
Summary
Sleep disturbances are early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD), impacting cognitive decline and prognosis. Disordered sleep may also contribute to AD pathology development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Sleep disturbances and altered sleep-wake rhythms are common early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- These sleep issues can precede other clinical manifestations of this neurodegenerative condition.
- Understanding sleep's role is crucial for AD diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the clinical features of sleep disorders in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- To explore the relationship between sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment, and prognosis in AD.
- To discuss the impact of sleep disorders on AD pathology, including amyloid-beta (Aβ) metabolism.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical features of sleep disorders in AD patients.
- Analysis of diagnostic challenges using questionnaires, polysomnography, and actigraphy.
- Examination of neurophysiological sleep architecture alterations in AD.
Main Results:
- Common sleep disorders in AD include sleep breathing disorders and restless legs syndrome.
- AD patients often exhibit disrupted sleep architecture, notably reduced deep and paradoxical sleep.
- Diagnosing sleep disorders in AD can be challenging due to methodological limitations.
Conclusions:
- Sleep disturbances are significantly associated with cognitive decline and poorer prognosis in Alzheimer's disease.
- Disordered sleep may influence the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and the progression of AD pathology.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the complex interplay between sleep and AD.