Title : Sleep architecture disruption as an early biomarker for neurodegenerative disorders
Abstract:
Sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining neural homeostasis, cognitive performance, and metabolic clearance within the brain. Increasing evidence suggests that alterations in sleep architecture may serve as an early biomarker for the development and progression of neurodegenerative disorders. Sleep architecture refers to the cyclical pattern of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages that occur throughout the night. Disruptions in these stages, particularly reductions in slow-wave sleep and REM sleep abnormalities, have been associated with several neurological diseases.
Recent studies have demonstrated that individuals with early neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Lewy body dementia often exhibit significant sleep disturbances years before the onset of prominent cognitive or motor symptoms. For instance, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) has emerged as one of the strongest prodromal indicators of synucleinopathies. Similarly, reductions in slow-wave sleep may impair synaptic homeostasis and interfere with the clearance of neurotoxic proteins such as amyloid-beta and tau, thereby accelerating neurodegenerative processes.
Advances in sleep monitoring technologies, including polysomnography and wearable sleep-tracking devices, have enabled more precise characterization of sleep architecture and its alterations in neurological populations. These tools offer promising opportunities for identifying early physiological changes that precede clinical disease manifestations.
This presentation explores the relationship between sleep architecture disruption and neurodegeneration, emphasizing its potential role as a non-invasive and accessible biomarker for early disease detection. The discussion will highlight current evidence linking sleep disturbances to pathological mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases and will examine how sleep-based biomarkers may contribute to improved risk stratification, early diagnosis, and preventive therapeutic strategies. Understanding sleep alterations in neurological disorders may ultimately provide new insights into disease mechanisms and open avenues for innovative clinical interventions.
