Prolonged REM Latency Potential Marker for Alzheimer Disease

MONDAY, Jan. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Prolonged rapid eye movement (REM) latency may be a potential marker for Alzheimer disease and Alzheimer disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD), according to a study published online Jan. 27 in Alzheimer”s & Dementia.

JIangli Jin, from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, and colleagues enrolled 128 adults (64 with Alzheimer disease, 41 with mild cognitive impairment, and 23 with normal cognition) to examine the relationship between sleep architecture and AD/ADRD. Participants underwent polysomnography, amyloid β (Aβ) positron emission tomography, and plasma biomarker analysis, including phosphorylated tau at threonine 181 (p‐tau181), neurofilament light, and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

The researchers found that the highest versus the lowest tertile of REM latency was associated with higher Aβ burden, elevated p-tau181, and reduced BDNF levels (β = 0.08, 0.19, and −0.47, respectively) after adjustment for demographics, apolipoprotein E ε4 status, cognition, and comorbidities.

“Prolonged REM latency was associated with key AD/ADRD pathophysiology, including elevated Aβ deposition and plasma p-tau181 and lower BDNF levels,” the authors write. “Given that these pathological changes typically precede clinical symptoms by a decade or more, our findings may provide novel insights regarding the involvement of REM sleep in the early detection and intervention of AD/ADRD.”

One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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