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Sleep Disorders in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Bhawna Randhi^1,2,3, Sai Dheeraj Gutlapalli⁴, Jingxiong Pu⁵

¹Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.

|April 17, 2023

Summary

Early detection and treatment of sleep disorders in aging populations may delay dementia onset. Improving sleep aids brain function by clearing harmful amyloid-beta and tau proteins, reducing neurodegeneration risk.

Keywords:

aging population alzheimer’s dementia cognitive impairment and dementia memory consolidation sleep disorders sleep therapies slow wave activity

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Area of Science:

Gerontology
Neurology
Sleep Medicine

Background:

Cognitive impairment and dementia prevalence rise with aging populations.
Sleep disorders are common in older adults and share a bidirectional relationship with mild cognitive impairment.
Both cognitive impairment and sleep disorders are frequently underdiagnosed.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the link between sleep disturbances and dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease.
To highlight the potential of early sleep intervention in mitigating cognitive decline.
To emphasize the role of sleep in clearing neurotoxic metabolites.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on sleep, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Analysis of the physiological mechanisms connecting sleep quality to brain health.
Examination of the impact of sleep on the accumulation of amyloid-beta and tau proteins.

Main Results:

Sleep facilitates the clearance of brain metabolites like amyloid-beta (A-beta) lipoprotein.
Reduced slow-wave sleep, common in aging and early Alzheimer's, impairs memory consolidation.
Improved sleep can decrease oxidative stress, thereby reducing A-beta lipoprotein accumulation.

Conclusions:

Addressing sleep disturbances in the elderly may be a viable strategy to delay dementia.
Sleep quality is crucial for clearing neurotoxic aggregates and maintaining cognitive function.
Targeting sleep disorders offers a potential avenue for preventing or slowing neurodegeneration.