SYDNEY, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia suggest that interactions between sleep habits and a specific gene may influence early brain and cognitive changes linked to Alzheimer's disease, long before symptoms emerge.
The study, led by Australia's Edith Cowan University (ECU) Center for Precision Health (CPH), focused on the aquaporin-4 (AQP4) gene, which helps regulate fluid movement through the brain, said an ECU statement released on Monday.
This process supports the brain's overnight waste-clearing system, which helps remove proteins linked to Alzheimer's, according to the study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia in the United States.
Researchers analyzed 13 common AQP4 gene variants alongside self-reported sleep patterns, brain imaging and cognitive performance.
They found that individuals carrying certain variants experienced faster grey matter loss when reporting shorter sleep durations. Others who took longer to fall asleep showed structural brain changes associated with reduced brain volume.
"The same variant can look protective or detrimental depending on how someone is sleeping. That's important, because sleep is one of the few modifiable factors people can actually act on," said CPH researcher Ayeisha Milligan Armstrong, the study's co-author.
The research also identified differences in cognitive performance over time among participants with sleep disturbances, with outcomes varying depending on the AQP4 variant carried.
Co-author Tenielle Porter from the CPH added that the results support a more targeted and personalized approach to Alzheimer's prevention, though further validation in larger, more diverse cohorts is needed.
The study called for genetics-informed clinical trials to test whether changing sleep patterns can mitigate genetic risk and alter long-term brain outcomes related to Alzheimer's disease. ■
