A new study published in Sleep was done by a research team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, that correlate certain brain wave patterns (sleep spindles) to cognitive function. A particular type of sleep brain wave pattern is being assessed by clinicians to aid them in detecting early onset dementia and other neuro-related cognitive decline diagnosis related to memory, thinking and language skills. The hope is to find a faster and more consistent way to make the determination by identifying another sleep biomarker. Which could lead to earlier detection and improved medications and methods of treatment.

The team of researchers looked at the sleep spindles (bursts of brain activity) during non-REM sleep, using an EEC, (electroencephalograms) with sensors placed on the scalp. These sleep patterns are found to be the same night after night and are considered to be a “fingerprint” among individuals.

The method of using this type of research is complex, despite showing much potential in establishing an accurate “electrophysiologic marker” for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Parkinson’s.

According to Haoqi Sun, PhD, co-author and investigator in the department of Neurology at MGH, “People have already known that these transient high frequency events during sleep in the brain are closely linked to cognition, especially to learning and memory. But when you try to detect spindles among more than 100 sleep recordings, things become less clear- such as what is the best threshold, what is the best minimum duration, etc,.”

The study involved 167 people which the experiments during sleep took place. The investigators goal was to draw correlations to cognitive performance based upon setting the parameters of measures taken from identified sleep spindle patterns and then making associations based upon their influence on EEC activity.

It was found that sleep spindles were a strong indicator to problem-solving and abstract thinking. Part of what is known as “fluid intelligence”. That when it’s in decline, is an early sign of dementia.

Noor Adra, lead author and clinical research coordinator at MGH says “ By optimizing the detection of this proposed sleep-based biomarker of recognition, we hope to guide future studies that examine the sensitivity of this biomarker in neurodegenerative populations.”

Sleep spindles are now among many of the most important recognizable features of sleep brainwave activity that can be used to indicate a persons state of mental health, brain capabilities and risk of developing neurocognitive decline. Now that sleep spindles can be measured. They can be included on the list of other leading sleep brain biomarkers that can serve doctors in maintaining and optimizing brain health in the future.

-A Balance Brain is a Better Brain-