Relationship between cognitive and sleep-wake variables in asymptomatic offspring of patients with late-onset alzheimer's disease

DUARTE-ABRITTA, BARBARA; ABULAFIA, CAROLINA; GARCIA, CELESTE; LADRÓN-DE-GUEVARA, SOLEDAD; FIORENTINI, LETICIA; SEVLEVER, GUSTAVO; VIGO, DANIEL E.; GUSTAFSON, DEBORAH R.; VILLAREAL, MIRTA F.; SEQUEYRA, GERALDINE; BÄR, KARL-JÜRGEN; GUINJOAN, SALVADOR MARTIN

Londres

Congreso; Alzheimer's Association International Conference; 2017

Early neuropathological changes characteristic oflate-onset Alzheimer?s disease (LOAD) involve brain stem andlimbic structures that regulate neurovegetative functions, includingsleep-wake rhythm. Indeed, sleep pattern is an emerging biomarkerand a potential pathophysiological mechanism in LOAD. We hypothesizedthat cognitively asymptomatic, middle-aged offspringof patients with LOAD would display a series of circadian rhythmabnormalities prior to the onset of objective cognitive alterations.Methods: We tested 31 offspring of patients with LOAD (OLOAD)and 19 healthy individuals without family history of AD(CS) with basic tests of cognitive function, as well as actigraphymeasures of sleep-wake rhythm, cardiac autonomic function, andbodily temperature. Results: Unexpectedly, O-LOAD displayedsubtle but significant deficits in verbal episodic memory and languagecompared to CS, even though all participants had resultswithin the clinically normal range. O-LOAD showed a phase-delayedrhythm of body temperature. Cognitive performance inO-LOAD was associated with a series of cardiac autonomicsleep-wake variables; specifically indicators of greater sympatheticactivity at night were related to poorer cognition. Conclusions:The present results add to burgeoning evidence on sleep patternas a potential early neurobiological signature in LOAD, extendingfindings to a sample of asymptomatic at-risk individuals