Ricardo Osorio, MD: Unanswered Questions About the Relationship Between Sleep, Alzheimer Disease

"If we prove sleep to really have an effect on how Alzheimer presents and if we can actually prevent the onset, that would be the most interesting question to solve."

With an increasingly high number of adults suffering from dementia, understanding factors responsible for cognitive impairment is critical. Emerging evidence suggests that the sleep-wake cycle directly influences levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau concentrations—2 key pathological processes that have been extensively used as biomarkers of Alzheimer disease pathology.

In the last 5—7 years, data has shown that sleep disruption is not only a consequence of Alzheimer disease, but it’s also a risk factor, however, there are still many questions that remain unanswered.

NeurologyLive sat down with Ricardo Osorio, MD, associate professor, department of psychiatry, NYU Langone, at the 24^th Congress of the European Sleep Research Society to speak about the relationship between poor sleep and Alzheimer disease and the questions that remain unanswered.

One of the most interesting questions Osorio hopes to solve is that if sleep is proven to have an effect on the presentation of Alzheimer, is it then possible to prevent the onset by enhancing sleep.