title: The Synergistic Relationship between Alzheimer's Disease and Sleep Disorders: An Update.
abstract: Sleep disorders are frequently reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD), with a significant impact on patients and caregivers and a major risk factor for early institutionalization. Although changes in sleep organization are a hallmark of the normal aging processes, sleep macro- and micro-architectural alterations are more evident in patients affected by AD. Degeneration of neural pathways regulating sleep-wake patterns and sleep architecture may contribute to sleep alterations. In return, several recent studies suggested that common sleep disorders may precede clinical symptoms of dementia and represent risk factors for cognitive decline, through impairment of sleep-dependent memory consolidation processes. Thus, a close relationship between sleep disorders and AD has been largely hypothesized. Here, sleep alterations in AD and its pre-dementia stage, mild cognitive impairment, and their complex interactions are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Sleep Disorders Center, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferini-Strambi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Combi
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; amyloid-β; mild cognitive impairment; sleep disorders