Sleep and daily rhythm changes in dementia
Wake-sleep Circuitry in Neurodegenerative Dementias
This project looks for specific sleep and daily rhythm changes in older adults that could signal early Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11231711 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work focuses on how sleep and circadian rhythms change with aging and in different neurodegenerative dementias from a patient perspective. Researchers will analyze wearable activity-monitor (actigraphy) data from older adults to measure night sleep time, night awakenings, daytime naps, and overall daily activity patterns. They will link those activity patterns to brain findings from individuals who later donated their brains for autopsy to see which wake-sleep cell groups are lost in different diseases. The aim is to identify sleep-pattern fingerprints that appear before clear symptoms so doctors might recognize specific disorders earlier.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are older adults—especially those with memory worries or a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, Lewy body, or frontotemporal dementia—who can wear an activity monitor and, in some cohorts, agree to brain donation.
Not a fit: Younger people without neurodegenerative risk or anyone unwilling to wear an activity monitor or take part in longitudinal follow-up are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable earlier, noninvasive detection of specific neurodegenerative diseases through simple sleep monitoring.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown sleep disturbances and REM sleep behavior disorder can precede neurodegeneration and that actigraphy detects sleep fragmentation, but tying actigraphy to brain autopsy to map specific circuit loss is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Saper, Clifford B — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Saper, Clifford B
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.