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Review
. 2023 Oct;179(7):658-666.
doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2023.08.003. Epub 2023 Aug 14.

Sleep and memory consolidation in aging: A neuroimaging perspective

Affiliations
Free article
Review

Sleep and memory consolidation in aging: A neuroimaging perspective

A Hamel et al. Rev Neurol (Paris). 2023 Oct.
Free article

Abstract

Recently acquired information is strengthened and consolidated during sleep. For hippocampus-dependent memory, this process is assumed to occur mainly during slow wave sleep. Changes in sleep patterns in older adults can contribute to the disruption of the consolidation process during sleep and thus lead to cognitive impairment. Current findings suggest that reduced gray matter volume, particularly in frontal areas, Aβ and tau accumulation in combination with age-related changes of specific oscillations during sleep may contribute to memory deficits. This non-exhaustive review aims at providing a comprehensive picture of the associations between sleep changes and memory consolidation in aging, mainly based on neuroimaging studies. Overall, data confirm the utmost importance of sleep for healthy aging and the need to develop interventions aiming at improving sleep to reduce cognitive decline observed with advancing age.

Keywords: Aging; Brain integrity; Episodic memory; Neuroimaging; Sleep.

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