Home › Research › Biomarkers
Sleep spindles and slow oscillations predict cognition and biomarkers of neurodegeneration in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease
Páez A, Gillman SO, Dogaheh SB, Carnes A, Dakterzada F, Barbé F, Dang-Vu TT, Ripoll GP.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025-01-29
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Introduction Changes in sleep physiology can predate cognitive symptoms by decades in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it remains unclear which sleep characteristics predict cognitive and neurodegenerative changes after AD onset. Methods Using data from a prospective cohort of mild to moderate AD (n = 60), we analyzed non-rapid eye movement sleep spindles and slow oscillations (SOs) at baseline and their associations with baseline amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau and with cognition from baseline to 3-year follow-up. Results Higher spindle and SO activity predicted significant changes in Aβ and tau at baseline, lower Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Subscale (better cognitive performance) score, and higher Mini-Mental State Examination score from baseline to 36 months. Spindles and SOs mediated the effect of phosphorylated tau 181 (pTau181)/Aβ42 on cognition, while pTau181/aβ42 moderated the effect of spindles and SOs on cognition. Discussion Our findings demonstrate that spindle and SO activity during sleep constitute predictive and non-invasive biomarkers of neurodegeneration and cognition in AD patients. Highlights Sleep spindles predict long-term cognitive performance in AD. Sleep spindle and SOs can be predictive, non-invasive biomarkers for AD. Sleep may be one of the most important modifiable risk factors for AD progression. Sleep microarchitecture is a novel therapeutic target for preserving brain heath. Sleep physiology can provide novel therapeutic targets to slow AD progression.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Páez, A., Gillman, S. O., Dogaheh, S. B., Carnes, A., Dakterzada, F., Barbé, F., et al. (2025). Sleep spindles and slow oscillations predict cognition and biomarkers of neurodegeneration in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14424
Vancouver
Páez A, Gillman SO, Dogaheh SB, Carnes A, Dakterzada F, Barbé F, et al. Sleep spindles and slow oscillations predict cognition and biomarkers of neurodegeneration in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.14424. PMID: 39878233.
BibTeX
@article{paez2025-39878233,
author = {Páez, A. and Gillman, S. O. and Dogaheh, S. B. and Carnes, A. and Dakterzada, F. and Barbé, F. and Dang-Vu, T. T. and Ripoll, G. P.},
title = {{Sleep spindles and slow oscillations predict cognition and biomarkers of neurodegeneration in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.14424},
pmid = {39878233},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14424}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results Higher spindle and SO activity predicted significant changes in Aβ and tau at baseline, lower Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Subscale (better cognitive performance) score, and higher Mini-Mental State Examination score from baseline to 36 months.
- Discussion Our findings demonstrate that spindle and SO activity during sleep constitute predictive and non-invasive biomarkers of neurodegeneration and cognition in AD patients.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Blood tests & biomarkers →
Study details
- Study designprospective cohort
- Participants60
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 71/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a prospective cohort study, followed forward from enrollment. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 41 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 71 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A prospective cohort study, followed forward from enrollment |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 60 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 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39878233) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 41 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 41 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 71 out of 100. |
| Total | 71 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.