No phenotypic or genotypic evidence for a link between sleep duration and brain atrophy

Bibliographic Data

ID4683665
AuthorsAnders M Fjell (0000-0003-2502-8774, Oslo University Hospital, corresponding author), Ole Sørensen (0000-0003-0724-3542, University of Oslo), Yunpeng Wang (0009-0002-5411-9202, University of Oslo), Inge K Amlien (0000-0002-8508-9088, University of Oslo), William F C Baaré (0000-0002-1810-7266, Copenhagen University Hospital), David Bartrés-Faz (0000-0001-6020-4118, Departament de Salut), Lars Bertram (0000-0002-0108-124X, University of Oslo), Carl-Johan Boraxbekk (0000-0002-4458-6475, Bispebjerg Hospital), Andreas M Brandmaier (0000-0001-8765-6982, MSB Medical School Berlin), Ilja Demuth (0000-0002-4340-2523, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Christian A Drevon (0000-0002-7216-2784, University of Oslo), Klaus P Ebmeier (0000-0002-5190-7038, University of Oxford), Paolo Ghisletta (0000-0001-7731-2406, University of Geneva), Rogier Kievit (0000-0003-0700-4568, Radboud University Nijmegen), Kuhn (0000-0001-6823-7969, Universität Hamburg), Kathrine Skak Madsen (0000-0001-8884-5902, Copenhagen University Hospital), Athanasia M Mowinckel (0000-0002-5756-0223, University of Oslo), L Nyberg (0000-0002-3367-1746, University of Oslo), Claire E Sexton (0000-0002-3846-2986, Alzheimer's Association), Cristina Solé-Padullés, Cristina Solé‐Padullés (0000-0002-6653-1053, Departament de Salut), Didac Vidal-Piñeiro (0000-0001-9997-9156, University of Oslo), Gerd Wagner (0000-0003-2296-0259, Jena University Hospital), Leiv Otto Watne (0000-0003-0441-6700, University of Oslo), Kristine B Walhovd (0000-0003-1918-1123, Oslo University Hospital)
Year2023
Volume7
Issue11
Pages2008-2022
Publication date2023-10-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNature Human Behaviour (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2397-3374 • E-ISSN: 2397-3374
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1038/s41562-023-01707-5
PMID37798367
OpenAlexW4387378717
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited123

Short sleep is held to cause poorer brain health, but is short sleep associated with higher rates of brain structural decline? Analysing 8,153 longitudinal MRIs from 3,893 healthy adults, we found no evidence for an association between sleep duration and brain atrophy. In contrast, cross-sectional analyses (51,295 observations) showed inverse U-shaped relationships, where a duration of 6.5 (95% confidence interval, (5.7, 7.3)) hours was associated with the thickest cortex and largest volumes relative to intracranial volume. This fits converging evidence from research on mortality, health and cognition that points to roughly seven hours being associated with good health. Genome-wide association analyses suggested that genes associated with longer sleep for below-average sleepers were linked to shorter sleep for above-average sleepers. Mendelian randomization did not yield evidence for causal impacts of sleep on brain structure. The combined results challenge the notion that habitual short sleep causes brain atrophy, suggesting that normal brains promote adequate sleep duration-which is shorter than current recommendations

Atrophy · Biology · Gene · Genotype · Phenotype · Computer Science · Medicine · Neuroscience · Sleep and related disorders · Sleep and Wakefulness Research · Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue · Genetics

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access