Sleep Duration May Be Associated With Brain Deposits Linked to Alzheimer's

Shorter sleep duration among community-dwelling older adults appears to be associated with greater build-up in the brain of beta-amyloid (Aβ), the protein that has been shown to be strongly associated with development of Alzheimer’s disease.

That’s the finding from a study of 70 adults (average age 76) from the neuroimaging substudy of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, published online yesterday in JAMA Neurology. The study was conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health. In the study, the respondents self-reported their nightly sleep duration. β-amyloid burden was assessed using positron emission tomography. After adjusting for potential confounders, the researchers found that reports of shorter sleep duration were associated with greater Aβ burden.

“Additional studies with objective sleep measures are needed to determine whether sleep disturbance causes or accelerates Alzheimer disease,” the researchers pointed out.

For more on research into Alzheimer's disease causes and prevention, see the Psychiatric News article, “For Now, Preventive Efforts Are Best Alzheimer’s Weapon.” Also see The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementias.

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Alzheimer’s Association Research Roundtable Workgroup Releases Report

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The Alzheimer’s Association Research Roundtable Workgroup has published its findings and conclusions in the current issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia, including recommendations for conducting clinical trials of amyloid-lowering agents. The  group was convened in July 2010 to review publicly available trial data in response to advice from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sponsors conducting clinical trials with amyloid-lowering agents for  treating Alzheimer’s. The FDA raised concerns about potential adverse events, specifically cerebral microhemorrhage and vasogenic edema, and recommended discontinuation in patients with any microhemorrhages during the study, advice that appeared stringent and limiting to many researchers.

Prior to publication, the workgroup report was sent to the FDA for review, and the FDA subsequently revised and updated its original advice to sponsors in a manner consistent with the report.

Amyloid-lowering agents are one approach to amyloid in the brain currently being investigated. To read about another approach, see Psychiatric News at http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/9/18.1.full.