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2 - Possible mechanisms and consequences of age-related changes in the middle years of life

from Part 1 - Sleep and normal aging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2010

By
Julie Carrier
Edited by
S. R. Pandi-Perumal ,
Jaime M. Monti  and
Andrew A. Monjan
S. R. Pandi-Perumal
Affiliation:
Somnogen Inc, New York
Jaime M. Monti
Affiliation:
Universidad de la República, Uruguay
Andrew A. Monjan
Affiliation:
National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Maryland
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Summary

The current evidence that aging is associated with a significant increase in sleep-wake cycle complaints has individual, social, and economic consequences. These age-related changes occur as early as the middle years of life, with over 35% of the population in their forties to sixties reporting sleep difficulties. Age effects on non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) differ between brain topographical sites in parallel with age-related changes in gray matter density of the brain. A precise interaction between the homeostatic and circadian processes is required for optimal sleep and vigilance. Age-related increase in wakefulness during sleep may be associated with a phase angle change between the signal from the circadian clock and sleep-wake cycles. Age-related changes in the neural correlates of NREM sleep oscillations may also underlie changes in memory and brain plasticity. There is need to determine the consequences of age-dependent changes to the sleep-wake cycle in middle-aged individuals.
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Chapter
Information
Principles and Practice of Geriatric Sleep Medicine , pp. 22 - 32
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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