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. 2024 Feb 15;17(2):e199-e202.
doi: 10.1055/s-0043-1777783. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Associations between Sleep Quality and Serum Levels of Neurofilament Light in Individuals with Premanifest Huntington Disease

Mitchell Turner  1   2 , Danielle Bartlett  2 , Govinda Poudel  3 , Pauline Zaenker  1   2 , Simon Laws  1   2 , Johnny Lo  4 , Mel Ziman  2 , Travis Cruickshank  1   2   5
Affiliations

Associations between Sleep Quality and Serum Levels of Neurofilament Light in Individuals with Premanifest Huntington Disease

Mitchell Turner et al. Sleep Sci. .

Abstract

Objectives To evaluate the associations between sleep quality and serum levels of neurofilament light (NfL) protein in individuals with premanifest Huntington disease (HD). Materials and Methods We recruited 28 individuals with premanifest HD from a pre-existing database (of the Huntington's Environmental Research Optimisation Scheme, HEROs). The participants filled out the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a subjective measure of sleep quality, and blood was collected via routine venepuncture to measure peripheral NfL levels. Results The PSQI scores (median: 5.0; interquartile range: 4.0-7.5) indicated poor sleep quality. General linear modelling revealed no significant ( p = 0.242) association between PSQI scores and NfL levels. No significant differences were found between individuals with good and poor sleep quality for any demographic variable collected. Discussion Contrary to studies on other neurological conditions, there was no association between sleep quality and NfL levels in individuals with premanifest HD. This was unexpected, given the influence of environmental factors (such as social network size) on neurodegeneration in individuals with premanifest HD.

Keywords: Huntington disease; neurofilament proteins; sleep quality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interests The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Outcome of general linear modelling between PSQI scores and NfL levels (pg/mL); the slope estimate, standard error, and p -value are reported.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Boxplots showing the distribution of NfL levels between individuals with good and poor sleep quality.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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