Abstract Details

Title When Sleep Fails the Brain: Exploring Early Alzheimer’s Changes in Young and Midlife Adults

Topic Aging, Dementia, and Behavioral Neurology

Presentation(s) P3 - Poster Session 3 (5:00 PM-6:00 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 12-013

Objective This study looks at how sleep quality relates to memory and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, using both imaging data and public health information.

Background Sleep problems are often seen years before Alzheimer’s symptoms begin. Even one night of bad sleep can raise β-amyloid levels in the brain, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s. When deep sleep is disrupted, the brain may struggle to clear these proteins, which can slowly build up and harm memory.

Design/Methods We conducted a narrative synthesis combining (1) an imaging cohort (n = 72, ages 20–55) assessed for sleep quality, Mini-Mental State Examination scores, and β-amyloid deposition via PET, and (2) public health surveillance data from the U.S.: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and NHIS for sleep prevalence, and CDC WONDER / Alzheimer’s mortality dashboards for AD burden.

Results In the PET cohort, participants classified as “poor sleepers” showed ~21 % lower memory recall scores and significantly greater β-amyloid accumulation in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (p < 0.05) relative to “good sleepers.” From surveillance sources, U.S. adults frequently report insufficient sleep (30–46 % range by state), and Alzheimer’s disease mortality rates vary by state and demographics, with ≥ 6–7 million adults ≥ 65 estimated to have AD. Age-adjusted mortality rates for AD range from ~33 to 71 per 100,000 persons depending on race and ethnicity.

Conclusions Poor sleep may do more than just cause fatigue, it could set the stage for memory decline and Alzheimer’s disease. These findings highlight the importance of healthy sleep habits early in life. By combining national health data with brain imaging studies, we can better understand how sleep impacts brain health and find ways to lower future Alzheimer’s risk.

Authors/Disclosures
Saad Tanzeem PRESENTER	Mr. Tanzeem has nothing to disclose.
Vikash Ayyappan	Mr. Ayyappan has nothing to disclose.
Awais Qadir	Mr. Qadir has nothing to disclose.
Mashoor Al Ahammed	Mr. Ahammed has nothing to disclose.

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