The Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Neurocognitive Function in the Geriatric Depression: A Case-Control Study

Abstract Background As the proportion of elderly increases, age-related psychological and physical health issues have gradually been taken seriously, especially depression and neurodegenerative disorders, which are also closely related to sleep. Depressive individuals often report sleep disturbances, and depression can lead to a decline in executive functions, with inhibitory control being the most severely affected. This decline is partly due to the inability to suppress negative rumination and worry, leading to the development of depressive symptoms. Additionally, executive function is also easily affected by sleep deprivation. However, the actual association between depression, sleep, and executive function requires further discussion. Aims mean age: 73.02±5.85 years). The elderly depression group showed significantly poorer global cognitive function, specific sleep quality indicators, and executive function compared to the non-depressed group. There were correlations between depression, specific sleep quality indicators, and specific components of executive function. Total in-bed time and total sleep time were found to mediate the relationship between elderly depression and global cognitive function. This study also examined the relationship between the severity of elderly depression and inhibitory control. The findings indicated that sleep quality did not mediate the relationship between depression severity and inhibitory control. However, the severity of elderly depression could directly predict certain inhibitory control indicators. Discussion & Conclusions This study found that elderly individuals with depression exhibit impairments in global cognitive function, specific sleep quality indicators, and executive function. Depression affects global cognitive function through total time in bed and total sleep time, indicating that sleep duration plays a crucial role in the relationship between elderly depression and global cognitive function.