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Objective Sleep Parameters, Glymphatic Clearance, and Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults with Sleep Complaints: A Pilot Study
Other Title
Objective Sleep Parameters, Glymphatic Clearance, and Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults with Sleep Complaints: A Pilot Study
Type
thesis
Date Issued
2025-07-11
Author(s)
Malida Tsani Fairuzza
Subjects
系所名稱：醫學人文研究所碩士班
Publisher
醫學人文研究所碩士班
Description
學位別：碩士
口試委員：葉篤學; 劉文德; 蕭帆琦; 李信謙; 吳昌衛
關鍵字：睡眠、擴散張量成像、劍橋神經認知測驗、類淋巴系統、老化、老年人、神經退化性、認知
口試委員：葉篤學; 劉文德; 蕭帆琦; 李信謙; 吳昌衛
關鍵字：睡眠、擴散張量成像、劍橋神經認知測驗、類淋巴系統、老化、老年人、神經退化性、認知
Abstract
Background: Sleep quality and glymphatic system function are both critical for healthy brain aging, yet their interrelationship in community-dwelling older adults with sleep complaints remains underexplored. This study investigated the associations between objective sleep parameters, glymphatic clearance (measured by diffusion tensor imaging along the perivascular space, DTI-ALPS), and cognitive performance in healthy older adults with sleep complaints.
Methods: This study conducted a cross-sectional study at Taipei Medical University Hospital involving healthy adults aged 60 and above with self-reported sleep complaints. Objective sleep parameters, including sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency (TST/TIB-U) were measured using home-based cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) sleep monitoring. Glymphatic function was assessed via lateralized and overall DTI-ALPS indices. Cognitive domains were evaluated with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Spearman correlation analyses examined associations among sleep, brain, and cognitive measures. Moderation analyses using PROCESS models explored the influence of sociodemographic and health-related factors.
Results: Only objective sleep efficiency (TST/TIB-U) showed significant positive correlations with both left and right ALPS indices (r = 0.46 and r = 0.48, respectively; p < 0.05), while other objective sleep parameters were not significantly associated with DTI-ALPS. No significant moderation effects were observed for sociodemographic or health-related variables. DTI-ALPS indices were most strongly associated with cognitive domains of memory and attention, particularly on CANTAB Paired Associates Learning and Pattern Recognition Memory tasks.
Conclusions: In healthy older adults with sleep complaints, sleep efficiency is the primary objective sleep parameter associated with glymphatic function as measured by DTI-ALPS. These findings underscore the importance of sleep consolidation for brain clearance mechanisms and cognitive health in aging, and support the use of home-based CPC and advanced neuroimaging as valuable tools for studying sleep-brain interactions in real-world settings.
Methods: This study conducted a cross-sectional study at Taipei Medical University Hospital involving healthy adults aged 60 and above with self-reported sleep complaints. Objective sleep parameters, including sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency (TST/TIB-U) were measured using home-based cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) sleep monitoring. Glymphatic function was assessed via lateralized and overall DTI-ALPS indices. Cognitive domains were evaluated with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Spearman correlation analyses examined associations among sleep, brain, and cognitive measures. Moderation analyses using PROCESS models explored the influence of sociodemographic and health-related factors.
Results: Only objective sleep efficiency (TST/TIB-U) showed significant positive correlations with both left and right ALPS indices (r = 0.46 and r = 0.48, respectively; p < 0.05), while other objective sleep parameters were not significantly associated with DTI-ALPS. No significant moderation effects were observed for sociodemographic or health-related variables. DTI-ALPS indices were most strongly associated with cognitive domains of memory and attention, particularly on CANTAB Paired Associates Learning and Pattern Recognition Memory tasks.
Conclusions: In healthy older adults with sleep complaints, sleep efficiency is the primary objective sleep parameter associated with glymphatic function as measured by DTI-ALPS. These findings underscore the importance of sleep consolidation for brain clearance mechanisms and cognitive health in aging, and support the use of home-based CPC and advanced neuroimaging as valuable tools for studying sleep-brain interactions in real-world settings.