Big Data Approaches for Novel Mechanistic Insights on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: a Workshop Summary.

The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hosted a two-day virtual workshop titled Big Data Approaches for Novel Mechanistic Insights on Disorders of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms on May 2nd and 3rd, 2024. The goals of this workshop were to establish a comprehensive understanding of the current state of sleep and circadian rhythms disorders research to identify opportunities to advance the field by using approaches based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The workshop showcased rapidly developing technologies for sensitive and comprehensive remote analysis of sleep and its disorders that can account for physiological, environmental and social influences, potentially leading to novel insights on long-term health consequences of sleep disorders and disparities of these health problems in specific populations.

Sleep characteristics and hearing loss in middle-aged and older adults: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018.

Background: Population-based evidence linking sleep characteristics with hearing is limited and how the associations change with age remains unknown. We aim to investigate cross-sectional associations between sleep characteristics and hearing by age in a nationally representative sample of U.S.

Associations of personality traits with actigraphic sleep in middle-aged and older adults.

Although prior studies have examined associations of personality traits with sleep, most have investigated self-reported sleep, been cross-sectional, and focused on younger and middle-aged adults. We investigated associations of personality with actigraphic sleep parameters and changes in sleep in 398 cognitively normal adults aged 40-95 years (M ± SD = 70.1 ± 12.

Independent associations of sleep and physical activity with cognition are mediated by hippocampal microstructure in middle-aged and older adults.

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.

Novel applications of sleep pharmacology as delirium therapeutics.

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.

A Randomized-Controlled Trial Targeting Cognition in Early Alzheimer's Disease by Improving Sleep with Trazodone (REST).

 Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among aging populations worldwide. Despite arduous research efforts, treatment options for this devastating neurodegenerative disease are limited. Sleep disturbances, through their link to changes in neural excitability and impaired clearance of interstitial abnormal protein aggregates, are a key risk factor for the development of AD.

Latent classes of sleep problems and subjective cognitive decline among middle-aged and older adults in the United States.

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.

Association of inadequate sleep with mortality among persons who inject drugs.

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.

Sleep-related impairment among people who use opioids: The critical role of structural vulnerability.

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).

Sleep Quality Moderates the Associations between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Hippocampal and Entorhinal Volume in Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

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.

Differences in Daily Physical Activity by Alzheimer's Risk Markers Among Older Adults.

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.

Midpoint of sleep is associated with sleep quality in older adults with and without symptomatic Alzheimer's disease.

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.

Links of Previous Incarceration With Geriatric Syndromes and Chronic Health Conditions Among Older Adults in the United States.

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]).

Evaluating a novel 24-hour rest/activity rhythm marker of preclinical β-amyloid deposition.

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.

Actigraphy Estimated Sleep Moderates the Relationship between Physical Activity and Cognition in Older Adults.

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.

Impact of Sleep Disorders and Disturbed Sleep on Brain Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

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.

Plant-based diets and the gut microbiome: findings from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

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.