Webinars

Sleep as a Window into Neurodegeneration

Presented by: Mikal Williams, RPSGT, BSBA, and Jeffrey Iliff, PhD

Sleep abnormalities and disorders may be early indicators, accelerants, and potentially modifiable risk factors for neurodegeneration—from cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease to dementia with Lewy bodies. Insomnia, REM sleep behavior disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep fragmentation, and altered sleep architecture have all been linked to neurodegeneration.

Longitudinal home sleep studies, along with imaging studies and blood tests, may eventually expand access to data that may help clinicians identify neurodegenerative risk earlier in routine sleep practice. For now, we examine the bidirectional relationship between sleep and neurodegeneration, dive deeply into glymphatic system dysfunction, and discuss emerging approaches to clinically assess sleep-linked neurodegeneration risks.