Self-reported Sleep Problems Related to Amyloid Deposition in Cortical Regions with High HOMER1 Gene Expression.

Sleep problems are related to the elevated levels of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker beta-amyloid (AD) Hypotheses about the causes of this relationship can be generated from molecular markers of sleep problems identified in rodents. A major marker of sleep deprivation is Homerla, a neural protein coded by the HOMER1 gene, which has also been implicated in brain A beta accumulation. Here, we tested whether the relationship between cortical A beta accumulation and self-reported sleep quality, as well as changes in sleep quality over 3 years, was stronger in cortical regions with high HOMER1 mRNA expression levels. In a sample of 154 cognitively healthy older adults, A beta correlated with poorer sleep quality cross-sectionally and longitudinally (n = 62), but more strongly in the younger than in older individuals. Effects were mainly found in regions with high expression of HOMER1. The anatomical distribution of the sleep-A beta relationship followed closely the A beta accumulation pattern in 69 patients with mild cognitive impairment or AD. Thus, the results indicate that the relationship between sleep problems and A beta accumulation may involve Homer1 activity in the cortical regions, where harbor A beta deposits in AD. The findings may advance our understanding of the relationship between sleep problems and AD risk.