Preserved Neuron Reactivity Dynamics during Prolonged Wakefulness is Linked to Cognitive Fitness in Aging, Independently of Tau Burden, Amyloid Beta Burden, and Cortical Atrophy
Maxime
Van Egroo1*,
Justinas
Narbutas1, 2,
Daphne
Chylinski1,
Pamela
Villar-Gonzalez1,
Gabriel
Besson1,
Pouya
Ghaemmaghami1,
Vincenzo
Muto1,
Giulia
Gaggioni1,
Caroline
Le Goff3,
Etienne
Cavalier3,
Eric
Lambot1,
Sophie
Laloux1,
Catherine
Hagelstein1,
André
Luxen1,
Christian
Degueldre1,
Mohamed
A.
Bahri1,
Pierre
Maquet1, 4,
Eric
Salmon1, 4,
Christina
Schmidt1, 2,
Christophe
Phillips1, 5,
Christine
Bastin1, 2,
Fabienne
Collette1, 2 and
Gilles
Vandewalle1
-
1
GIGA-Cyclotron Research Center In Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Belgium
-
2
Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Liège, Belgium
-
3
Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Liège, Belgium
-
4
Department of Neurology, University Hopital of Liege, Belgium
-
5
GIGA-In silico Medicine, University of Liège, Belgium
Introduction. Aging is associated with important modifications in sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythmicity. Whether these changes influence cognition beyond the age-related decline in brain integrity remains unclear, however. Here, we investigated whether the dynamics of neuron reactivity, a basic aspect of brain function influenced by sleep homeostasis and circadian processes, is related to performance across different cognitive domains in healthy aging. We further asked whether the link between neuron reactivity and cognition was independent from alteration in brain structure found in aging.
Methods. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) to assess frontal cortical neuron reactivity in 45 healthy older individuals (aged 50-70 years, mean = 59.4 ± 5.5; 29 women) during 20 hours of wake extension in strictly-controlled constant routine conditions. On a separate occasion, a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tasks measuring memory, attentional, and executive functions was administered to all participants. Participants also underwent two Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans to quantify tau and amyloid beta protein burden, hallmarks of the aging brain and of the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. High resolution T1-weighted images were also used to estimate individuals' cortical atrophy.
Results. Generalized linear mixed models analyses revealed that neuron reactivity dynamics during prolonged wakefulness was strongly associated with executive performance (p = .001), but not with memory (p = .71) or attentional (p = .18) functions. Importantly, individuals retaining 'young-like' dynamics in neuronal reactivity showed better executive performance. Critically, this domain-specific association remained significant after controlling for global cortical atrophy, and tau and amyloid beta burden (p = .002).
Discussion. Our data show that older individuals exhibiting preserved sleep-wake regulation of frontal cortical neuron reactivity have better executive performance. Furthermore, this association appears independent of cortical atrophy and abnormal brain protein accumulations. These original results provide strong support for a key role of sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythmicity in determining age-related cognitive decline, apart from the age-related deterioration in brain structures.
Keywords:
Sleep Deprivation,
TMS-EEG,
Aging Neurophysiology,
Cognition,
Neuroimaging
Conference:
Belgian Brain Congress 2018 — Belgian Brain Council, LIEGE, Belgium, 19 Oct - 19 Oct, 2018.
Presentation Type:
e-posters
Topic:
NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR NEUROLOGICAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS: SCIENTIFIC BASIS AND VALUE FOR PATIENT-CENTERED CARE
Citation:
Van Egroo
M,
Narbutas
J,
Chylinski
D,
Villar-Gonzalez
P,
Besson
G,
Ghaemmaghami
P,
Muto
V,
Gaggioni
G,
Le Goff
C,
Cavalier
E,
Lambot
E,
Laloux
S,
Hagelstein
C,
Luxen
A,
Degueldre
C,
Bahri
MA,
Maquet
P,
Salmon
E,
Schmidt
C,
Phillips
C,
Bastin
C,
Collette
F and
Vandewalle
G
(2019). Preserved Neuron Reactivity Dynamics during Prolonged Wakefulness is Linked to Cognitive Fitness in Aging, Independently of Tau Burden, Amyloid Beta Burden, and Cortical Atrophy.
Front. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
Belgian Brain Congress 2018 — Belgian Brain Council.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2018.95.00022
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Received:
09 Aug 2018;
Published Online:
17 Jan 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Maxime Van Egroo, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Center In Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Liège, Belgium, maxime.vanegroo@doct.uliege.be