(From JAMA)

Getting less sleep and poor sleep quality are associated with abnormal brain imaging findings suggesting Alzheimer disease (AD) in older adults, according to a report published by JAMA Neurology, a JAMA Network publication.

Deposits of ë_-Amyloid (ëÔë_) plaques are one of the hallmarks of AD. Fluctuations in ëÔë_ levels may be regulated by sleep-wake patterns, the authors write in the study background.

Adam P. Spira, Ph.D., of The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, and colleagues used data from 70 adults (average age 76 years) in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging to examine whether self-reported sleep factors were associated with ëÔë_ deposition, which was measured by imaging of the brain.

Study participants reported sleep that ranged from more than seven hours to no more than 5 hours. Reports of shorter sleep duration and lower sleep quality were both associated with greater ëÔë_ buildup.

The authors acknowledge their study design does not allow them to determine whether sleep disturbance precedes ëÔë_ deposition, so they are unable to say that poor sleep causes AD.

‰ÛÏIn summary, our findings in a sample of community-dwelling older adults indicate that reports of shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality are associated with a greater ëÔë_ burden. As evidence of this association accumulates, intervention trials will be needed to determine whether optimizing sleep can prevent or slow AD progression,‰Û the study concludes.