Disease and Degeneration of Aging Neural Systems that Integrate Sleep Drive and Circadian Oscillations

Abstract

Sleep/wake and circadian rest-activity rhythms become irregular with age. Typical outcomes include fragmented sleep during the night, advanced sleep phase syndrome and increased daytime sleepiness. These changes lead to a reduction in the quality of life due to cognitive impairments and emotional stress. More importantly, severely disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms have been associated with an increase in disease susceptibility. Additionally, many of the same brain areas affected by neurodegenerative diseases include the sleep and wake promoting systems. Any advances in our knowledge of these sleep/wake and circadian networks are necessary to target neural areas or connections for therapy. This review will discuss research that uses molecular, behavioral, genetic and anatomical methods to further our understanding of the interaction of these systems.

Risk factors for sleep disturbances in older adults: Evidence from prospective studies

“…The wide range of topics covered includes: aging-related changes in sleep brain electrophysiology 6 , circadian processes 7 , and the associations of sleep with hormonal 8 , immunological 9 , neurodegenerative 10 , and psychosocial factors 11, 12 . Prior reviews have tended to draw evidence from multiple methods and sources and offer comprehensive reports on late-life sleep disturbances and factors involved in their etiology 13-15 .…”

Sleep and immune function: glial contributions and consequences of aging

“…stages N2 and N3), decreased EEG delta power, and more time spent in lighter stages of NREMS which results in more nighttime awakenings. Furthermore, sleep onset is progressively earlier and is accompanied by early morning wake time and more frequent daytime napping (for review see [35] and [36]). Although healthy aging need not be associated with sleep complaints, the elderly frequently indicate they have difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep [37].…”

“…Increased severity of these alterations in sleep can increase susceptibility to disease and predict age-related disease onset [38,39]. Indeed, several brain regions associated with sleep-wake behavior are impacted by neurodegenerative disease [35]. …”

Melatonin and Circadian Rhythm: Aging, Cancer, and Mechanism

“…Sleep/wake and circadian rest-activity rhythms become irregular with age [84]. Typical outcomes include fragmented sleep during the night, advanced sleep phase syndrome and increased daytime sleepiness.…”