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Iakunchykova O, Pan M, Amlien IK, Roe JM, Walhovd KB, Fjell AM, Chen CH, Benros ME, Wang Y. Genetic evidence for the causal effects of C-reactive protein on self-reported habitual sleep duration. Brain Behav Immun Health 2024; 37:100754. [PMID: 38511149 PMCID: PMC10950822 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory responses to acute stimuli are proposed to regulate sleep, but the relationship between chronic inflammation and habitual sleep duration is elusive. Here, we study this relation using genetically predicted level of chronic inflammation, indexed by CRP and IL6 signaling, and self-reported sleep duration. By Mendelian randomization analysis, we show that elevated CRP level within <10 mg/L has a homeostatic effect that facilitates maintaining 7-8 h sleep duration per day - making short-sleepers sleep longer (p = 2.42 × 10-2) and long-sleepers sleep shorter (1.87 × 10-7); but it is not associated with the overall sleep duration (p = 0.17). This homeostatic effect replicated in an independent CRP dataset. We observed causal effects of the soluble interleukin 6 receptor and gp130 on overall sleep duration (p = 1.62 × 10-8, p = 2.61 × 10-58, respectively), but these effects disappeared when CRP effects were accounted for in the model. Using polygenic score analysis, we found that the homeostatic effect of CRP on sleep duration stems primarily from the genetic variants within the CRP gene region: when genetic variants outside of this region were used to predict CRP levels, the opposite direction of effect was observed. In conclusion, we show that elevated CRP level may causally facilitate maintaining an optimal sleep duration that is beneficial to health, thus updating our current knowledge of immune regulation on sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olena Iakunchykova
- Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mengyu Pan
- Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317, Oslo, Norway
| | - Inge K. Amlien
- Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317, Oslo, Norway
| | - James M. Roe
- Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kristine B. Walhovd
- Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, POB 4950, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders M. Fjell
- Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, POB 4950, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway
| | - Chi-Hua Chen
- Department of Radiology, University of California in San Diego, Gilman Drive 9500, 92093, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael E. Benros
- Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte Hospitalsvej 15, 2900, Hellerup, Denmark
| | - Yunpeng Wang
- Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317, Oslo, Norway
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Wang Z, Li X, Wang J, Yang W, Dove A, Lu W, Qi X, Sindi S, Xu W. Association of past and current sleep duration with structural brain differences: A large population-based study from the UK Biobank. Sleep Med 2024; 119:179-186. [PMID: 38692219 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2024.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the association between past/current sleep duration and macro-/micro-structural brain outcomes and explore whether hypertension or social activity plays a role in such association. METHODS Within the UK Biobank, 40 436 dementia-free participants (age 40-70 years) underwent a baseline assessment followed by a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan 9 years later. Past (baseline) and current (MRI scans) sleep duration (hours/day) were recorded and classified as short (≤5), intermediate (6-8), and long (≥9). Brain structural volumes and diffusion markers were assessed by MRI scans. RESULTS Compared with past intermediate sleep, past short sleep was related to smaller cortex volumes (standardized β [95 % CI]: -0.04 [-0.07, -0.02]) and lower regional fractional anisotropy (FA) (-0.08 [-0.13, -0.03]), while past long sleep was related to smaller regional subcortical volumes (standardized β: -0.04 to -0.07 for thalamus, accumbens, and hippocampus). Compared to current intermediate sleep, current short sleep was associated with smaller cortex volumes (-0.03 [-0.05, -0.01]), greater white matter hyperintensities (WMH) volumes (0.04 [0.01, 0.08]), and lower regional FA (-0.07 [-0.11, -0.02]). However, current long sleep was related to smaller total brain (-0.03 [-0.05, -0.02]), grey matter (-0.05 [-0.07, -0.03]), cortex (-0.05 [-0.07, -0.03]), regional subcortical volumes [standardized β: -0.05 to -0.09 for putamen, thalamus, hippocampus, and accumbens]), greater WMH volumes (0.06 [0.03, 0.09]), as well as lower regional FA (-0.05 [-0.09, -0.02]). The association between current long sleep duration and poor brain health was stronger among people with hypertension or low frequency of social activity (all Pinteraction <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Both past and current short/long sleep are associated with smaller brain volume and poorer white matter health in the brain, especially in individuals with hypertension and low frequency of social activity. Our findings highlight the need to maintain 6-8 h' sleep duration for healthy brain aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyu Wang
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China
| | - Xuerui Li
- Department of Geriatrics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Geriatrics Institute, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiao Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenzhe Yang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Abigail Dove
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Wenli Lu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiuying Qi
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
| | - Shireen Sindi
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Ageing Epidemiology Research Unit (AGE), School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Weili Xu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China; Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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3
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Fjell AM, Walhovd KB. Individual sleep need is flexible and dynamically related to cognitive function. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:422-430. [PMID: 38379065 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01827-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Given that sleep deprivation studies consistently show that short sleep causes neurocognitive deficits, the effects of insufficient sleep on brain health and cognition are of great interest and concern. Here we argue that experimentally restricted sleep is not a good model for understanding the normal functions of sleep in naturalistic settings. Cross-disciplinary research suggests that human sleep is remarkably dependent on environmental conditions and social norms, thus escaping universally applicable rules. Sleep need varies over time and differs between individuals, showing a complex relationship with neurocognitive function. This aspect of sleep is rarely addressed in experimental work and is not reflected in expert recommendations about sleep duration. We recommend focusing on the role of individual and environmental factors to improve our understanding of the relationship between human sleep and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders M Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- Center for Computational Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Kristine B Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Center for Computational Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Richards KC, Gooneratne N. Clinicians should not avoid prescribing CPAP in older adults with cognitive impairment. Sleep Med Rev 2024; 73:101896. [PMID: 38199077 DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathy C Richards
- School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Nalaka Gooneratne
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Fjell AM, Sørensen Ø, Wang Y, Amlien IK, Baaré WFC, Bartrés-Faz D, Boraxbekk CJ, Brandmaier AM, Demuth I, Drevon CA, Ebmeier KP, Ghisletta P, Kievit R, Kühn S, Madsen KS, Nyberg L, Solé-Padullés C, Vidal-Piñeiro D, Wagner G, Watne LO, Walhovd KB. Is Short Sleep Bad for the Brain? Brain Structure and Cognitive Function in Short Sleepers. J Neurosci 2023; 43:5241-5250. [PMID: 37365003 PMCID: PMC10342221 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2330-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Many sleep less than recommended without experiencing daytime sleepiness. According to prevailing views, short sleep increases risk of lower brain health and cognitive function. Chronic mild sleep deprivation could cause undetected sleep debt, negatively affecting cognitive function and brain health. However, it is possible that some have less sleep need and are more resistant to negative effects of sleep loss. We investigated this using a cross-sectional and longitudinal sample of 47,029 participants of both sexes (20-89 years) from the Lifebrain consortium, Human Connectome project (HCP) and UK Biobank (UKB), with measures of self-reported sleep, including 51,295 MRIs of the brain and cognitive tests. A total of 740 participants who reported to sleep <6 h did not experience daytime sleepiness or sleep problems/disturbances interfering with falling or staying asleep. These short sleepers showed significantly larger regional brain volumes than both short sleepers with daytime sleepiness and sleep problems (n = 1742) and participants sleeping the recommended 7-8 h (n = 3886). However, both groups of short sleepers showed slightly lower general cognitive function (GCA), 0.16 and 0.19 SDs, respectively. Analyses using accelerometer-estimated sleep duration confirmed the findings, and the associations remained after controlling for body mass index, depression symptoms, income, and education. The results suggest that some people can cope with less sleep without obvious negative associations with brain morphometry and that sleepiness and sleep problems may be more related to brain structural differences than duration. However, the slightly lower performance on tests of general cognitive abilities warrants closer examination in natural settings.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Short habitual sleep is prevalent, with unknown consequences for brain health and cognitive performance. Here, we show that daytime sleepiness and sleep problems are more strongly related to regional brain volumes than sleep duration. However, participants sleeping ≤6 h had slightly lower scores on tests of general cognitive function (GCA). This indicates that sleep need is individual and that sleep duration per se is very weakly if at all related brain health, while daytime sleepiness and sleep problems may show somewhat stronger associations. The association between habitual short sleep and lower scores on tests of general cognitive abilities must be further scrutinized in natural settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders M Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
- Computational Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Øystein Sørensen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Yunpeng Wang
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Inge K Amlien
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - William F C Baaré
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David Bartrés-Faz
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, and Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carl-Johan Boraxbekk
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, 907 36 Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Diagnostic Radiology, Umeå University, 907 36 Umeå, Sweden
- Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen (ISMC), Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2020 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas M Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ilja Demuth
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (including Division of Lipid Metabolism), Biology of Aging working group, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10178 Berlin, Germany
- BCRT - Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian A Drevon
- Vitas AS, The Science Park, 0349 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Klaus P Ebmeier
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
| | - Paolo Ghisletta
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
- UniDistance Suisse, 3900 Brig, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rogier Kievit
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Simone Kühn
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kathrine Skak Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Radiography, Department of Technology, University College Copenhagen, 1799 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Nyberg
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, 907 36 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Cristina Solé-Padullés
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, and Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Didac Vidal-Piñeiro
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Gerd Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Leiv Otto Watne
- Oslo Delirium Research Group, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Campus Ahus, University of Oslo, 1478, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Kristine B Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
- Computational Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
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