Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32847615›Full record

ArticleAlzheimer's research & therapy2020

Effects of long-term sleep disruption on cognitive function and brain amyloid-β burden: a case-control study.

Jana Thomas, Sharon J Ooms, Lara J Mentink, Jan Booij, Marcel G M Olde Rikkert, Sebastiaan Overeem, Roy P C Kessels, Jurgen A H R Claassen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Sleep Patterns and Human Brain Health.The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. The Interactive Role of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Episodic Memory in Older Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2023
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Jana ThomasDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, GC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Jana.Thomas@radboudumc.nl.ORCID 0000-0002-8249-7369
Sharon J OomsDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6525, HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Lara J MentinkDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, GC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Jan BooijDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, GC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Marcel G M Olde RikkertDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, GC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Sebastiaan OvereemSleep Medicine Centre Kempenhaeghe, 5591, VE, Heeze, The Netherlands.
Roy P C KesselsDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6525, HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Jurgen A H R ClaassenDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, GC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Jurgen.Claassen@radboudumc.nl.
Radboud University Nijmegen · NLKempenhaeghe · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecent evidence indicates that disrupted sleep could contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease by influencing the production and/or clearance of the amyloid-β protein. We set up a case-control study to investigate the association between long-term work-induced sleep disruption, cognitive function, and brain amyloid-β burden.

methodsNineteen male maritime pilots (aged 48-60 years) with chronic work-related sleep disruption and a sex-, age-, and education-matched control sample (n = 16, aged 50-60 years) with normal sleep completed the study. Primary sleep disorders were ruled out with in-lab polysomnography. Additional sleep measurements were obtained at home using actigraphy, sleep-wake logs, and a single-lead EEG device. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological test battery, sensitive to early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Brain amyloid-β burden was assessed in maritime pilots using

resultsMaritime pilots reported significantly worse sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) = 8.8 ± 2.9) during work weeks, compared to controls (PSQI = 3.2 ± 1.4; 95% CI 0.01 to 2.57; p = 0.049). This was confirmed with actigraphy-based sleep efficiency (86% ± 3.8 vs. 89.3% ± 4.3; 95% CI 0.43 to 6.03; p = 0.03). Home-EEG recordings showed less total sleep time (TST) and deep sleep time (DST) during work weeks compared to rest weeks (TST 318.56 (250.21-352.93) vs. TST 406.17 (340-425.98); p = 0.001; DST 36.75 (32.30-58.58) vs. DST 51.34 (48.37-69.30); p = 0.005)). There were no differences in any of the cognitive domains between the groups. For brain amyloid-β levels, mean global cortical standard uptake value ratios of

conclusionsCapitalizing on the particular work-rest schedule of maritime pilots, this study with a small sample size observed that long-term intermittent sleep disruption had no effects on global brain amyloid-β levels or cognitive function.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseasePositron Emission Tomography Computed TomographyAmyloid beta-PeptidesBrainCase-Control StudiesCognitionHumansMalePositron-Emission TomographySleepAmyloid beta-PeptidesAlzheimer’s diseaseAmyloid-βCognitive functionShift workSleep disruption

Identifiers

PMID32847615
PMCPMC7450576
OpenAlexW3081087011

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.