This page is alzhub.org's plain-English summary of a published study, not the paper itself. It is generated from the record we hold for this study, sourced and linked below — check the original for the full text and methods.

71/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 71 out of 100. Mild cognitive impairment

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Suboptimal sleep causes cognitive decline and probably accelerates Alzheimer's Disease (AD) progression. Several sleep interventions have been tested in established AD dementia cases. However early intervention is needed in the course of AD at Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or mild dementia stages to help prevent decline and maintain good quality of life. This systematic review aims to summarize evidence on sleep interventions in MCI and mild AD dementia. Seven databases were systematically searched for interventional studies where ≥ 75% of participants met diagnostic criteria for MCI/mild AD dementia, with a control group and validated sleep outcome measures. Studies with a majority of participants diagnosed with Moderate to Severe AD were excluded. After removal of duplicates, 22,133 references were returned in two separate searches (August 2019 and September 2020). 325 full papers were reviewed with 18 retained. Included papers reported 16 separate studies, total sample (n = 1,056), mean age 73.5 years. 13 interventions were represented: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Insomnia (CBT-I), A Multi-Component Group Based Therapy, A Structured Limbs Exercise Programme, Aromatherapy, Phase Locked Loop Acoustic Stimulation, Transcranial Stimulation, Suvorexant, Melatonin, Donepezil, Galantamine, Rivastigmine, Tetrahydroaminoacridine and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). Psychotherapeutic approaches utilising adapted CBT-I and a Structured Limbs Exercise Programme each achieved statistically significant improvements in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index with one study reporting co-existent improved actigraphy variables. Suvorexant significantly increased Total Sleep Time and Sleep Efficiency whilst reducing Wake After Sleep Onset time. Transcranial Stimulation enhanced cortical slow oscillations and spindle power during daytime naps. Melatonin significantly reduced sleep latency in two small studies and sleep to wakefulness transitions in a small sample. CPAP demonstrated efficacy in participants with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. Evidence to support other interventions was limited. Whilst new evidence is emerging, there remains a paucity of evidence for sleep interventions in MCI and mild AD highlighting a pressing need for high quality experimental studies exploring alternative sleep interventions.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Blackman, J., Swirski, M., Clynes, J., Harding, S., Leng, Y., & Coulthard, E. (2021). Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to enhance sleep in mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review. Journal of sleep research. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13229

Vancouver

Blackman J, Swirski M, Clynes J, Harding S, Leng Y, Coulthard E. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to enhance sleep in mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review. Journal of sleep research. 2021. doi:10.1111/jsr.13229. PMID: 33289311.

BibTeX

@article{blackman2021-33289311,
  author  = {Blackman, J. and Swirski, M. and Clynes, J. and Harding, S. and Leng, Y. and Coulthard, E.},
  title   = {{Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to enhance sleep in mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review}},
  journal = {Journal of sleep research},
  year    = {2021},
  doi     = {10.1111/jsr.13229},
  pmid    = {33289311},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13229}
}

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

Key findings

Psychotherapeutic approaches utilising adapted CBT-I and a Structured Limbs Exercise Programme each achieved statistically significant improvements in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index with one study reporting co-existent improved actigraphy variables.
Suvorexant significantly increased Total Sleep Time and Sleep Efficiency whilst reducing Wake After Sleep Onset time.
Melatonin significantly reduced sleep latency in two small studies and sleep to wakefulness transitions in a small sample.
CPAP demonstrated efficacy in participants with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

Why it matters

This systematic review of 16 studies with 1,056 participants found that adapted cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and a structured limbs exercise programme each significantly improved sleep quality, and that suvorexant and melatonin improved certain sleep measures in small studies. The review addresses sleep interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia, but does not show that improving sleep prevents or slows Alzheimer's disease.

Study details

Study designsystematic review
Participants1,056
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 71/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of sleep research)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Journal of Sleep Research: journal h-index 177 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	12 / 12	A systematic review of all the studies on the question
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	3 / 5	2021 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	3 / 4	1,056 participants
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 141 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	4 / 5	20.1 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 2.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 3 other studies in this library
Still being cited	3 / 4	Cited 84 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Elizabeth Jane Coulthard: h-index 37 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 33289311)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	71 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Studies this one cites

Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 21.

Later studies that cite this one

3 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.

Related studies in Mild cognitive impairment

Also tagged “double-blind”

783 studies in the library carry the topic tag “double-blind”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 783 tagged studies.

Similar studies

More on Mild cognitive impairment

See all studies in Mild cognitive impairment →