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Sleep and Alzheimer disease pathology--a bidirectional relationship
Ju YE, Lucey BP, Holtzman DM.. Nature reviews. Neurology, 2013-12-24
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Factors other than age and genetics may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer disease (AD). Accumulation of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in the brain seems to initiate a cascade of key events in the pathogenesis of AD. Moreover, evidence is emerging that the sleep-wake cycle directly influences levels of Aβ in the brain. In experimental models, sleep deprivation increases the concentration of soluble Aβ and results in chronic accumulation of Aβ, whereas sleep extension has the opposite effect. Furthermore, once Aβ accumulates, increased wakefulness and altered sleep patterns develop. Individuals with early Aβ deposition who still have normal cognitive function report sleep abnormalities, as do individuals with very mild dementia due to AD. Thus, sleep and neurodegenerative disease may influence each other in many ways that have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of AD.
Key findings
- In experimental models, sleep deprivation increases the concentration of soluble Aβ and results in chronic accumulation of Aβ, whereas sleep extension has the opposite effect.
Why it matters
In experimental models, this review reports, sleep deprivation raised soluble amyloid-β and led to its chronic build-up, while extra sleep had the opposite effect. It also describes the reverse: once amyloid-β accumulates, wakefulness increases and sleep patterns change, and people with early amyloid deposits but normal thinking "report sleep abnormalities". The authors conclude sleep and Alzheimer's "may influence each other". The record contains no human trial, numbers or tested treatment.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Nature reviews. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Nature Reviews Neurology: journal h-index 269 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 994 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 71.0 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 39 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 311 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author David M. Holtzman: h-index 206 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24366271) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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.
APA 7th
Ju, Y. E., Lucey, B. P., & Holtzman, D. M. (2014). Sleep and Alzheimer disease pathology--a bidirectional relationship. Nature reviews. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.269
Vancouver
Ju YE, Lucey BP, Holtzman DM. Sleep and Alzheimer disease pathology--a bidirectional relationship. Nature reviews. Neurology. 2014. doi:10.1038/nrneurol.2013.269. PMID: 24366271.
BibTeX
@article{ju2014-24366271,
author = {Ju, Y. E. and Lucey, B. P. and Holtzman, D. M.},
title = {{Sleep and Alzheimer disease pathology--a bidirectional relationship}},
journal = {Nature reviews. Neurology},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1038/nrneurol.2013.269},
pmid = {24366271},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.269}
}
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