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. 2013 May 31:5:61-75.
doi: 10.2147/NSS.S34842. Print 2013.

Sleep disturbance in mental health problems and neurodegenerative disease

Kirstie N Anderson  1 , Andrew J Bradley
Affiliations

Sleep disturbance in mental health problems and neurodegenerative disease

Kirstie N Anderson et al. Nat Sci Sleep. .

Abstract

Sleep has been described as being of the brain, by the brain, and for the brain. This fundamental neurobiological behavior is controlled by homeostatic and circadian (24-hour) processes and is vital for normal brain function. This review will outline the normal sleep-wake cycle, the changes that occur during aging, and the specific patterns of sleep disturbance that occur in association with both mental health disorders and neurodegenerative disorders. The role of primary sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and REM sleep behavior disorder as potential causes or risk factors for particular mental health or neurodegenerative problems will also be discussed.

Keywords: cognition; mental health; neurodegenerative disorders; sleep.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Homeostatic sleep propensity (sleep load) increases through the waking day and is dissipated by sleep. Notes: The alerting signal is generated by the circadian system and opposes the increasing sleep load peaking in the late evening in order to maintain wakefulness for approximately 16 hours. The circadian drive for alertness then decreases overnight in order that as sleep load decreases sleep can still be maintained for approximately 8 hours. Reproduced from Physiology and Behaviour; 90, Beersma DGM and Gordijn MCM, Circadian Control of the Sleep-Wake Cycle 190–195, Copyright (2007), with permission from Elsevier.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative actograms from healthy control (A and E), mildly demented (B and F) and moderately demented (C, G, D and H) subjects recorded first in year 1 (A ± D), and for the same subjects at follow-up in year 2 (E ± H). Note: Data from 28 consecutive days are double plotted on a 48-hour time base for clarity. From Hatfield CF et al. Disrupted daily activity/rest cycles in relation to daily cortisol rhythms of home-dwelling patients with early Alzheimer’s dementia, Brain, 2004, 27, part 5,1061–74, by permission of Oxford University Press.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A 30-second epoch from a polysomnograph demonstrating the changes in REM behavior disorder. Notes: The electrooculogram channels (LOC and ROC; blue) show the characteristic eye flicks of REM sleep. The submental electromyogram (CHIN 1; red) should be flat but shows phasic activity as the patient is moving. Abbreviations: LOC, left outer canthus of the eye; REM, rapid eye movement; ROC, right outer canthus of the eye.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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