Publications by authors named "Adam P Spira"

Sleep and physical activity levels are both associated with cognitive performance among older adults; however, the brain mechanisms underlying these beneficial relationships remain poorly understood. This study investigated cross-sectional associations of actigraphic estimates of physical activity and sleep with cognition and diffusion imaging-based measures of medial temporal lobe (MTL) gray matter microstructural integrity in adults free of dementia. Participants were 132 older adults from the Biomarkers of Cognitive Decline Among Normal Individuals (BIOCARD) cohort study (119 cognitively unimpaired and 13 with mild cognitive impairment; mean age=70.

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  • This study investigates the link between EEG-measured sleep patterns and depressive symptoms in older adults living in the community.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 66 older adults with sleep complaints, measuring their sleep using a sleep EEG device and depressive symptoms with the Geriatric Depression Scale.
  • The findings indicate that lighter sleep (stages N1 and N2), reduced deep sleep (N3), and more frequent awakenings are associated with increased depressive symptoms, suggesting that improving sleep quality could help reduce depression in this population.
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Sleep-wake and circadian disruption (SCD) is a core feature of delirium. It has been hypothesized that SCD contributes to delirium pathogenesis; therefore, interventions that prevent or reverse SCD represent an array of promising opportunities in relation to delirium. This review explores the relationship between sleep-wake/circadian physiology and delirium pathophysiology with a focus on neurotransmitter systems.

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Objective: Previous studies have linked sleep problems to subjective cognitive decline (SCD) using a variable-centered approach (e.g., adding sleep symptoms to form a score); however, sleep problems may cluster differently between individuals.

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Background: Inadequate sleep is associated with all-cause mortality in the general population. Substance use has adverse effects on sleep, and insomnia symptoms are common among people with HIV. Therefore, persons who inject drugs may face a heightened risk of adverse outcomes from inadequate sleep.

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  • The study investigated the relationship between age and sleep patterns in adults aged 40 and older using wrist actigraphy, focusing on factors like sleep duration and efficiency.
  • Results showed that while older individuals (40-70 years) experienced longer total sleep time (TST), their sleep quality decreased with age, particularly after age 70, especially in men.
  • The study found no significant differences in age and sleep patterns based on race, but highlighted the need for more research to understand potential sex differences in sleep quality as people age.
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Objective: People who use opioids are vulnerable to sleep disturbances due to a range of factors, including the substances they use and the various structural vulnerabilities they face. We aimed to understand the burden of sleep-related impairment and problems pertaining to sleep context and schedule among people who use opioids.

Methods: We explored sleep quality and problems among a suburban sample of people who use opioids experiencing extensive structural vulnerabilities (N = 170).

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  • * The study analyzed data from 1,590 older adults using long-term ECG monitors (Zio XT Patch) to assess PA and HRV over 14 days while measuring cognitive function.
  • * Results indicated that higher PA correlates with better overall cognitive function and lower risks of mild cognitive impairment and dementia, while HRV showed no significant connection to cognitive outcomes.
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  • Greater physical activity and better sleep patterns are linked to reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults, but their combined effects on brain function and pathology are not well understood.
  • This study analyzed how total physical activity (TVPA) and sleep metrics (total sleep time and sleep efficiency) relate to brain connectivity and amyloid-β PET measures in 135 non-demented older adults.
  • Findings suggest that higher TVPA and sleep efficiency improve network modularity and connectivity in specific brain networks, while longer sleep duration may lead to disorganization in the brain, especially in individuals with amyloid positivity.
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Introduction/purpose: As individuals age, the entorhinal cortex (ERC) and hippocampus-crucial structures for memory-tend to atrophy, with related cognitive decline. Simultaneously, lifestyle factors that can be modified, such as exercise and sleep, have been separately linked to slowing of brain atrophy and functional decline. However, the synergistic impact of fitness and sleep on susceptible brain structures in aging adults remains uncertain.

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Background: Daily physical activity patterns differ by Alzheimer's disease (AD) status and might signal cognitive risk. It is critical to understand whether patterns are disrupted early in the AD pathological process. Yet, whether established AD risk markers (β-amyloid [Aβ] or apolipoprotein E-ε4 [APOE-ε4]) are associated with differences in objectively measured activity patterns among cognitively unimpaired older adults is unclear.

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Introduction: Disrupted sleep is common in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may be a marker for AD risk. The timing of sleep affects sleep-wake activity and is also associated with AD, but little is known about links between sleep architecture and the midpoint of sleep in older adults. In this study, we tested if the midpoint of sleep is associated with different measures of sleep architecture, AD biomarkers, and cognitive status among older adults with and without symptomatic AD.

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Background: This study investigated the association between previous incarceration and various geriatric and chronic health conditions among adults 50 and older in the United States.

Methods: Data came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health-Parent Study (AHPS) collected in 2015-2017, including 2 007 individuals who participated in the parent study (Parent Sample) and 976 individuals who participated in the spouse/partner study (Spouse/Partner Sample). Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between previous incarceration and geriatric syndromes (dementia, difficulty walking, difficulty seeing, difficulty with activities of daily living) and chronic health conditions (self-reported poor/fair health, diagnosis of cancer, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, chronic lung disease, depression, and alcohol use [4 or more drinks per week]).

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  • This study investigates the relationship between physical activity (PA) and heart rate variability (HRV) with cognitive function in older adults using long-term ECG monitors and accelerometers.
  • The research involved 1,590 participants aged 72-94, showing that higher PA was linked to better cognitive scores and significantly lower risks of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, while HRV did not show a significant correlation.
  • Findings suggest promoting physical activity may help improve cognitive function and reduce the likelihood of dementia in aging populations, highlighting the importance of monitoring PA through wearable technology.
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Study Objectives: To compare sleep and 24-hour rest/activity rhythms (RARs) between cognitively normal older adults who are β-amyloid-positive (Aβ+) or Aβ- and replicate a novel time-of-day-specific difference between these groups identified in a previous exploratory study.

Methods: We studied 82 cognitively normal participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (aged 75.7 ± 8.

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  • The study examined the link between genetic risk for short sleep, self-reported sleep duration, and biological aging in a group of participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
  • Results indicated that individuals with a genetic predisposition for short sleep had higher granulocyte counts, and those sleeping more than 7 hours showed accelerated aging markers.
  • The findings suggest that both genetic and self-reported sleep duration influence biological aging, and these associations are affected by age and sex of the participants.
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Background And Aims: Physical inactivity and poor sleep are common in older adults and may interact to contribute to age- and disease-related cognitive decline. However, prior work regarding the associations among physical activity, and cognition in older adults is primarily limited to subjective questionnaires that are susceptible to inaccuracies and recall bias. Therefore, this study examined whether objectively measured physical activity and sleep characteristics, each estimated using actigraphy, are independently or interactively associated with cognitive performance.

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Accumulating evidence supports a link between sleep disorders, disturbed sleep, and adverse brain health, ranging from stroke to subclinical cerebrovascular disease to cognitive outcomes, including the development of Alzheimer disease and Alzheimer disease-related dementias. Sleep disorders such as sleep-disordered breathing (eg, obstructive sleep apnea), and other sleep disturbances, as well, some of which are also considered sleep disorders (eg, insomnia, sleep fragmentation, circadian rhythm disorders, and extreme sleep duration), have been associated with adverse brain health. Understanding the causal role of sleep disorders and disturbances in the development of adverse brain health is complicated by the common development of sleep disorders among individuals with neurodegenerative disease.

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Background: Mounting evidence indicates that although some plant-based diets are healthful, others are not. Changes in the gut microbiome and microbiome-dependent metabolites, such as trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), may explain differential health effects of plant-based diets. However, human data are sparse on whether qualitatively distinct types of plant-based diets differentially affect gut microbiome diversity, composition, particularly at the species level, and/or metabolites.

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Objectives: Assess the prospective association of actigraphically measured sleep with self-report and objective measures of physical function among community-dwelling older men.

Methods: Participants were (n = 1496) men aged ≥65 years from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study and ancillary sleep study who were followed up at 4 years for physical function outcomes. Sleep predictors included baseline total sleep time (<6, 6-8 hours [reference], >8 hours), sleep efficiency (<80% or ≥80% [reference]), wake after sleep onset (<90 [reference] or ≥90 minutes), and sleep onset latency (<30 [reference] or ≥30 minutes), measured by wrist actigraphy.

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Sleep abnormalities may represent an independent risk factor for neurodegeneration. An international expert group convened in 2021 to discuss the state-of-the-science in this domain. The present article summarizes the presentations and discussions concerning the importance of a strategy for studying sleep- and circadian-related interventions for early detection and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.

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Objectives: Children with ADHD commonly exhibit sleep disturbances, but there is limited knowledge about how sleep and sleep timing are associated with cognitive dysfunction in children with ADHD.

Methods: Participants were 350 children aged 5 to 12 years diagnosed with ADHD. Three sleep-related constructs-time in bed, social jetlag (i.

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