Polygenic Index for Sleep Duration and Brain Changes over Time

Background: Sleep is a complex physiological process, crucial for cognitive functioning, emotional regulation, and overall health. Recent advances in genomics and neuroimaging have illuminated the intricate relationship between genetics, sleep architecture, and brain changes. This study investigated the association between sleep duration genetics, through a Sleep Duration Polygenic Index (Sleep PGI), and brain changes (total cortical thickness, white matter volume, gray matter volume, white matter hyperintensities volume) in cognitively healthy adults aged 20–80 years old. Methods: Using longitudinal data from the Reference Ability Neural Network (RANN) and Cognitive Reserve (CR) studies, we examined the impact of Sleep PGI on brain measures (total cortical thickness, gray matter volume, white matter volume, WMH volume) over time. Generalized Estimated Equations were used for the statistical analysis. Analysis was performed in the total sample (n = 94) and in three age-groups (young, middle, old). Results: Across age, higher Sleep PGI was associated with higher temporal WMH volumes over time. In models considering an interaction of age between Sleep PGI and time in study, age emerged as a significant moderator for outcomes of hippocampal volume, cortical white matter volume, and WMH volume (total, parietal) as outcomes. Conclusions: Sleep duration polygenic score was associated with changes in the brain in cognitively healthy adults. Genetic predisposition for longer sleep duration was associated with more favorable longitudinal trajectories against brain decline, a result mostly driven by younger adults. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining optimal sleep duration and the potential for personalized interventions to improve sleep and brain health.