Sleep Disturbance in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Association With Cognitive Functioning. A Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Sleep Medicine
• Gerontology

Background:

• Sleep disturbances are frequently reported in older adults.
• The relationship between sleep quality and cognitive health, particularly in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of sleep disturbances in individuals with MCI and compare it to cognitively healthy controls.
• To investigate the association between sleep disturbances and cognitive performance in both MCI and control groups.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 69 individuals with MCI and 72 cognitively healthy controls were assessed.
• Neuropsychological assessments and subjective sleep evaluation using the Sleep Continuity in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (SCADS) were conducted.

Main Results:

• Individuals with MCI exhibited a higher frequency of poor sleep (21.7%) compared to controls (15.3%).
• MCI patients had 3.2 times higher odds of poor sleep compared to controls, with nighttime awakenings also increasing MCI odds (OR=2.6).
• In MCI, poor sleep correlated with better general cognition and working memory; in controls, it was linked to poorer episodic memory and executive function.

Conclusions:

• Sleep disturbances are significantly more prevalent in individuals with MCI.
• These findings suggest that sleep disturbances may be indicative of underlying neurodegenerative processes.
• Further research using objective sleep measures and sleep intervention studies in MCI are warranted to explore cognitive decline prevention.