Cited by 793Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchSleep and related disordersSleep and Wakefulness Research

Sleep Fragmentation and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Decline in Older Persons

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Lim, Andrew S. P., Kowgier, Matthew, Yu, Lei, Buchman, Aron S., Bennett, David A.·2013·Sleep

Abstract

Cross-sectional studies suggest that sleep fragmentation is associated with cognitive performance in older adults. We tested the hypothesis that sleep fragmentation is associated with incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the rate of cognitive decline in older adults. Prospective cohort study. Community-based 737 community dwelling older adults without dementia. Sleep fragmentation was quantified from up to 10 consecutive days of actigraphy. Subjects underwent annual evaluation for AD with 19 neuropsychological tests. Over a follow-up period of up to 6 years (mean 3.3 years), 97 individuals developed AD. In a Cox proportional hazards model controlling for age, sex, and education, a higher level of sleep fragmentation was associated with an increased risk of AD (HR = 1.22, 95%CI 1.03-1.44, P = 0.02 per 1SD increase in sleep fragmentation). An individual with high sleep fragmentation (90th percentile) had a 1.5-fold risk of developing AD as compared with someone with low sleep fragmentation (10th percentile). The association of sleep fragmentation with incident AD did not vary along demographic lines and was unchanged after controlling for potential confounders including total daily rest time, chronic medical conditions, and the use of common medications which can affect sleep. In a linear mixed effect analysis, a 0.01 unit increase in sleep fragmentation was associated with a 22% increase in the annual rate of cognitive decline relative to the average rate of decline in the cohort (Estimate = -0.016, SE = 0.007, P = 0.03). Sleep fragmentation in older adults is associated with incident AD and the rate of cognitive decline.

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Authors
Lim, A. S. P., Kowgier, M., Yu, L., Buchman, A. S., & Bennett, D. A.
Affiliations
  • Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (CA)
  • Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (CA)
  • Rush University Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Lim, Andrew S. P.
Venue
Sleep
Published
2013-07-01
Volume
36
Issue
7
Pages
1027-1032
ISSN
  • 0161-8105 (ISSN-L)
  • 1550-9109
OpenAlex
W1983620103
Cited by
793
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 84 · 2025: 72 · 2024: 78 · 2023: 61 · 2022: 66 · 2021: 88 · 2020: 81 · 2019: 67 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 50 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 4
FWCI
22.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • SLEEP (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Illinois Department of Public Health (R01AG17917, R01AG34374)
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG017917, R01-AG-24480, R01-AG34374, R01‐AG17917, R01AG024480, R01AG034374)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS078009)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
Keywords
sleep fragmentation, Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline, older adults, actigraphy, sleep disruption, dementia risk, sleep and cognition

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