Projects per year
Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is established that Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients experience sleep disruption. However, it remains unknown whether disruption in the quantity, quality or timing of sleep is a risk factor for the onset of AD.
METHODS: We used the largest published genome-wide association studies of self-reported and accelerometer-measured sleep traits (chronotype, duration, fragmentation, insomnia, daytime napping and daytime sleepiness), and AD. Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to estimate the causal effect of self-reported and accelerometer-measured sleep parameters on AD risk.
RESULTS: Overall, there was little evidence to support a causal effect of sleep traits on AD risk. There was some suggestive evidence that self-reported daytime napping was associated with lower AD risk [odds ratio (OR): 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50-0.99). Some other sleep traits (accelerometer-measured 'eveningness' and sleep duration, and self-reported daytime sleepiness) had ORs of a similar magnitude to daytime napping, but were less precisely estimated.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found very limited evidence to support a causal effect of sleep traits on AD risk. Our findings provide tentative evidence that daytime napping may reduce AD risk. Given that this is the first MR study of multiple self-report and objective sleep traits on AD risk, findings should be replicated using independent samples when such data become available.
Original language | English |
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Article number | dyaa183 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | International Journal of Epidemiology |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 5 Nov 2020 |
Research Groups and Themes
- Brain and Behaviour
Keywords
- Sleep
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Dementia
- Mendelian randomization
- Causal Inference
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Dive into the research topics of 'Is disrupted sleep a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease? Evidence from a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 3 Finished
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IEU: MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit Quinquennial renewal
Gaunt, L. F. (Principal Investigator) & Davey Smith, G. (Principal Investigator)
1/04/18 → 31/03/23
Project: Research
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Life course aetiology of dementia and cognitive decline: improving causal inference
Anderson, E. L. (Principal Investigator)
1/06/17 → 31/01/22
Project: Research
Profiles
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Dr Emma L Anderson
- Bristol Medical School (PHS) - Honorary Senior Research Fellow
- Bristol Population Health Science Institute
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit
Person: Member, Honorary and Visiting Academic