Less Sleep May Age the Brain

Previously, some studies have suggested that short sleep duration may have a negative effect on  cognitive functions in older adults, but measurement of an objective marker for this relationship has not been consistently measured to-date.  June Lo, from Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Singapore), and colleagues examined the data of 66 older Chinese adults, from the Singapore-Longitudinal Aging Brain Study. Participants underwent structural MRI brain scans measuring brain volume and neuropsychological assessments testing cognitive function every two years. Additionally, their sleep duration was recorded through a questionnaire. Those who slept fewer hours showed evidence of faster ventricle enlargement – a marker for cognitive decline and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, as well as a decline in cognitive performance.  Concluding that: “In healthy older adults, short sleep duration is associated with greater age-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline,” the study authors note that: “These associations are not associated with elevated inflammatory responses among short sleepers.”