24-hour Activity Rhythms Research Articles

Sleep, 24-Hour Activity Rhythms, and Subsequent Amyloid-β Pathology

Sleep disturbances are common among older adults and have been associated with the development of Alzheimer disease (AD), such as amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology. For effective AD prevention, it is essential to pinpoint the specific disturbances in sleep and the underlying 24-hour activity rhythms that confer the highest risk of Aβ deposition. To determine the associations of 24-hour activity rhythms and sleep with Aβ deposition in adults without dementia, to evaluate whether disrupted 24-hour activity and sleep may precede Aβ deposition, and to assess the role of the apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4) genotype. This was an observational cohort study using data from the Rotterdam Study. Of 639 participants without dementia who underwent Aβ positron emission tomography (PET) from September 2018 to November 2021, 319 were included in the current study. Exclusion criteria were no APOE genotyping and no valid actigraphy data at the baseline visits from 2004 to 2006 or from 2012 to 2014. The mean (SD) follow-up was 7.8 (2.4) years. Data were analyzed from March 2023 to April 2024. Actigraphy (7 days and nights, objective sleep, and 24-hour activity rhythms), sleep diaries (self-reported sleep), Aβ42/40, phosphorylated tau (p-tau)181 and p-tau217 plasma assays, 18F-florbetaben PET (mean standard uptake value ratio [SUVR] in a large cortical region of interest), and APOE4 genotype. Association of objective and self-reported sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms at baseline with brain Aβ PET burden at follow-up. The mean (range) age in the study population was 61.5 (48-80) years at baseline and 69.2 (60-88) years at follow-up; 150 (47%) were women. Higher intradaily variability at baseline, an indicator of fragmented 24-hour activity rhythms, was associated with higher Aβ PET burden at follow-up (β, 0.15; bootstrapped 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.26; bootstrapped P = .02, false discovery rate [FDR] P = .048). APOE genotype modified this association, which was stronger in APOE4 carriers (β, 0.38; bootstrapped 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.64; bootstrapped P = .03) compared to noncarriers (β, 0.07; bootstrapped 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.18; bootstrapped P = .19). The findings remained largely similar after excluding participants with AD pathology at baseline, suggesting that a fragmented 24-hour activity rhythm may have preceded Aβ deposition. No other objective or self-reported measure of sleep was associated with Aβ. Among community-dwelling adults included in this study, higher fragmentation of the 24-hour activity rhythms was associated with greater subsequent Aβ burden, especially in APOE4 carriers. These results suggest that rest-activity fragmentation could represent a modifiable risk factor for AD.

Sleep, 24-hour activity rhythms, and cardiometabolic risk factors in school-age children.

Disturbed sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms are linked to adverse cardiometabolic profiles in adults and adolescents, and these associations may originate in early life. We aimed to study associations of sleep and 24-hour rhythms with cardiometabolic risk factors in school-age children. This cross-sectional population-based study comprised 894 children aged 8-11 years from the Generation R Study. Sleep (duration, efficiency, number of awakenings, and time awake after sleep onset) and 24-hour activity rhythms (social jet lag, interdaily stability, and intradaily variability) were assessed using triaxial wrist actigraphy for 9 consecutive nights. Cardiometabolic risk factors included adiposity (body mass index Z-score, fat mass index using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and visceral fat mass and liver fat fraction using magnetic resonance imaging), blood pressure, and blood markers (glucose, insulin, and lipids). We adjusted for season, age, sociodemographics, and lifestyle factors. Each increase in interquartile range of nightly awakenings (2 times) was associated with -0.12 standard deviation (95% confidence interval: -0.21, -0.04) lower body mass index and 0.15 mmol/L (0.10, 0.21) higher glucose. Among boys, an increase in interquartile range of intradaily variability (0.12) was associated with higher fat mass index (+0.07 kg/m2; 95% confidence interval: 0.03, 0.11) and visceral FM (+0.08 g; 95% confidence interval: 0.02, 0.15). We observed no associations with blood pressure or clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors. Already at school age, greater fragmentation of the 24-hour activity rhythm is associated with general and organ adiposity. In contrast, more nightly awakenings were associated with lower body mass index. Future research should bring clarity to these disparate observations in order to create potential targets for obesity prevention programs. Beunders VAA, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, Vermeulen MJ, etal. Sleep, 24-hour activity rhythms, and cardiometabolic risk factors in school-age children. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(7):1219-1229.

Sleep, 24-Hour Activity Rhythms, and Cognitive Reserve: A Population-Based Study.

The cognitive reserve hypothesis aims to explain individual differences in susceptibility to the functional impact of dementia-related pathology. Previous research suggested that poor subjective sleep may be associated with a lower cognitive reserve. The objective was to investigate if actigraphy-estimated sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms are associated with cognitive reserve. This cross-sectional study included 1,002 participants from the Rotterdam Study (mean age: 65.0 years, standard deviation (SD): 7.1) who were assessed with actigraphy, five cognitive tests, and brain-MRI between 2009- 2014. Sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms were measured using actigraphy (mean days: 6.7, SD: 0.5). Cognitive reserve was defined as a latent variable that captures variance across cognitive tests, while adjusting for age, sex, education, total brain volume, intracranial volume, and white matter hyperintensity volume. Associations of sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms with cognitive reserve were assessed using structural equation models. Longer sleep onset latency (adjusted mean difference: - 0.16, 95% CI: - 0.24; - 0.08) and lower sleep efficiency (0.14, 95% CI: 0.05; 0.22) were associated with lower cognitive reserve. Total sleep time and wake after sleep onset were not significantly associated with cognitive reserve. After mutual adjustment, only the association of longer sleep onset latency remained significant (- 0.12, 95% CI: - 0.20; - 0.04). The 24-hour activity rhythm was not significantly associated with cognitive reserve. In conclusion, our study suggests that longer sleep onset latency is particularly associated with lower cognitive reserve. Future longitudinal work is needed to assess whether shortening the sleep onset latency could enhance cognitive reserve, in order to limit the susceptibility to the functional impact of dementia-related pathology.

The Cross-Sectional Association Between Tinnitus and Actigraphy-Estimated Sleep in a Population-Based Cohort of Middle-Aged and Elderly Persons.

Tinnitus is a common and burdensome disease, often accompanied by complaints of poor sleep. However, associations of tinnitus with objective estimates of sleep remain unclear, particularly in the general population. We assessed these associations in a population-based cohort of middle-aged and elderly persons. This study included 1456 participants (mean age: 65.0 ± 7.1 years, 52% women) from the population-based Rotterdam Study. Tinnitus was self-reported and in those who reported tinnitus daily, symptom severity was assessed with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. We used actigraphy to estimate sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms objectively and sleep diaries to assess self-reported sleep. We estimated the difference in sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms first between those with and those without tinnitus and secondly with tinnitus severity. Tinnitus, reported by 341 (23%) participants, and tinnitus severity, assessed in 194 participants with daily tinnitus, were not associated with actigraphy-estimated sleep or 24-hour activity rhythms, but were associated with a longer self-reported sleep onset latency (adjusted difference tinnitus = 2.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.95-3.78, adjusted difference tinnitus severity = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.013-0.54). After stratification for hearing loss, tinnitus was associated with longer self-reported sleep onset latency (adjusted difference = 2.26, 95% CI = 0.98-3.53) and less stable 24-hour activity rhythms (adjusted difference = -0.02, 95% CI = -0.04 to -0.00) in those with hearing loss. In those without hearing loss, tinnitus was associated with more stable rhythms (adjusted difference = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.01-0.05). Having tinnitus is associated with a longer self-reported sleep onset latency, but not with objective estimates of sleep, suggesting that the subjective experience of sleep may be particularly disturbed in those with tinnitus. In addition, hearing loss may modify the association of tinnitus and 24-hour activity rhythms.

Association of 24-Hour Activity Pattern Phenotypes With Depression Symptoms and Cognitive Performance in Aging

Evidence regarding the nature and prevalence of 24-hour activity pattern phenotypes in older adults, especially those related to depression symptoms and cognition, is needed to guide the development of targeted mechanism research and behavioral interventions. To identify subgroups of older adults with similar 24-hour activity rhythm characteristics and characterize associated depression symptoms and cognitive performance. From January to March 2022, a cross-sectional analysis of the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination and Survey (NHANES) accelerometer study was conducted. The NHANES used a multistage probability sample that was designed to be representative of noninstitutionalized adults in the US. The main analysis included participants 65 years or older who had accelerometer and depression measures weighted to represent approximately 32 million older adults. Latent profile analysis identified subgroups with similar 24-hour activity pattern characteristics as measured using extended-cosine and nonparametric methods. Covariate-adjusted sample-weighted regressions assessed associations of subgroup membership with (1) depression symptoms defined as 9-Item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores of 10 or greater (PHQ-9) and (2) having at least psychometric mild cognitive impairment (p-MCI) defined as scoring less than 1 SD below the mean on a composite cognitive performance score. The actual clustering sample size was 1800 (weighted: mean [SD] age, 72.9 [7.3] years; 57% female participants). Clustering identified 4 subgroups: (1) 677 earlier rising/robust (37.6%), (2) 587 shorter active period/less modelable (32.6%), (3) 177 shorter active period/very weak (9.8%), and (4) 359 later settling/very weak (20.0%). The prevalence of a PHQ-9 score of 10 or greater differed significantly across groups (cluster 1, 3.5%; cluster 2, 4.7%; cluster 3, 7.5%; cluster 4, 9.0%; χ2 P = .004). The prevalence of having at least p-MCI differed significantly across groups (cluster 1, 7.2%; cluster 2, 12.0%; cluster 3, 21.0%; cluster 4, 18.0%; χ2 P < .001). Five of 9 depression symptoms differed significantly across subgroups. In this cross-sectional study, findings indicate that approximately 1 in 5 older adults in the US may be classified in a subgroup with weak activity patterns and later settling, and approximately 1 in 10 may be classified in a subgroup with weak patterns and shorter active duration. Future research is needed to investigate the biologic processes related to these behavioral phenotypes, including why earlier and robust activity patterns appear protective, and whether modifying disrupted patterns improves outcomes.

The longitudinal association of sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms with cortisol response to a very low dose of dexamethasone

ObjectivesPoor sleep is common in the general population, with hyperarousal and stress often suggested as causal factors. Conversely, sleep might also affect the stress response, in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a key role. We assessed the longitudinal association of sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms with functioning of the negative feedback loop of the HPA axis, as indicated by the cortisol response to a very low dose of dexamethasone. DesignLongitudinal cohort. SettingPopulation-based. ParticipantsThis study included 410 participants (mean age: 56.1 ± 5.5 years, 59% women) from the Rotterdam Study. For 217 participants, the cortisol response to dexamethasone was assessed again after a median follow-up of 5.7 years (IQR = 5.5-5.8). MeasurementsBetween 2004 and 2007, sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms were estimated with actigraphy (mean duration: 146 ± 19.6 hours) and sleep quality with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. To assess the negative feedback loop of the HPA axis we measured cortisol before and after the intake of a very low-dose of dexamethasone (0.25 mg). ResultsUnstable (B = 1.64, 95% CI = 0.78; 2.50) and fragmented (B = -1.31, 95% CI = -2.17; -0.45) 24-hour activity rhythms, and a poor self-rated sleep quality (B = -0.02, 95% CI = -0.04; 0.00) were associated with an enhanced cortisol response to dexamethasone over time, also in those without clinically relevant depressive symptoms and those not using psychoactive medication. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates a longitudinal association of disturbed 24-hour activity rhythms and poor self-rated sleep quality with an enhanced cortisol response to dexamethasone, in other words stronger suppression of cortisol. Statement of significanceThis study shows that disturbed 24-hour activity rhythms and a poor self-rated sleep quality are associated with functioning of the negative feedback loop over a period of years.

Rest-Activity Rhythm Patterns and Physical Functional Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Men

Sleep and activity patterns have been linked to physical performance in older adults. Traditional parametric models of 24-hour activity rhythms fail to adequately capture specific diurnal sleep and wake patterns; functional principal components analysis (fPCA) is a non-parametric approach that addresses this limitation. Using fPCA, we modeled accelerometry data from n = 2,960 participants in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) ancillary sleep study (mean age 77y) and examined cross-sectional associations with gait speed and grip strength measurements. Lower daytime activity (expected difference = -0.049 [-0.072, -0.028] m/s), increased sleep duration and a reduced midday dip in activity (-0.015 [-0.035, 0.006] m/s) were modestly associated with worsening gait speed. A modest association between both later sleep and wake times and increased sleep duration with worsening grip strength outcomes was observed (-1.11 [-1.90, -0.32] kg). Specific daily activity patterns may serve as predictive biomarkers for changing physical function in aging populations.

Actigraphy-estimated sleep and 24-hour activity rhythms and the risk of dementia.

IntroductionWe investigated and compared associations of objective estimates of sleep and 24‐hour activity rhythms using actigraphy with risk of dementia.MethodsWe included 1322 non‐demented participants from the prospective, population‐based Rotterdam Study cohort with valid actigraphy data (mean age 66 ± 8 years, 53% women), and followed them for up to 11.2 years to determine incident dementia.ResultsDuring follow‐up, 60 individuals developed dementia, of which 49 had Alzheimer's disease (AD). Poor sleep as indicated by longer sleep latency, wake after sleep onset, and time in bed and lower sleep efficiency, as well as an earlier “lights out” time, were associated with increased risk of dementia, especially AD. We found no associations of 24‐hour activity rhythms with dementia risk.DiscussionPoor sleep, but not 24‐hour activity rhythm disturbance, is associated with increased risk of dementia. Actigraphy‐estimated nighttime wakefulness may be further targeted in etiologic or risk prediction studies.

Dementia risk is higher with actigraphy derived poor sleep but not 24-hour activity rhythm disturbance

Dementia risk is higher with actigraphy derived poor sleep but not 24-hour activity rhythm disturbance

Are 24-hour motor activity patterns associated with continued rapid response to ketamine?

PurposeThis study examined the links between 24-hour activity patterns (specifically, amplitude and timing of wrist activity) and the persisting qualities of clinical antidepressant response to the glutamatergic modulator ketamine.MethodsTwenty-four-hour activity patterns were compared across 5 days of 24-hour activity rhythms in patients with major depressive disorder who displayed either a brief antidepressant response (24–48 hours), a continued antidepressant response (>72 hours), or no antidepressant response to ketamine. These postinfusion-response profiles were then used retrospectively to examine cohort-specific fitted parameters at baseline, postinfusion day 1 (D1), and postinfusion D3.ResultsRelative to the nonresponders, the cohort experiencing a brief antidepressant response had blunted 24-hour amplitude that extended from baseline through D3 and postketamine phase advance of activity on D1 that reverted to baseline on D3. Relative to the nonresponders, the cohort experiencing a continued antidepressant response to ketamine had phase-advanced activity at both baseline and D1, as well as increased amplitude on D1 and D3.ConclusionTaken together, the results suggest that the time course of antidepressant response to ketamine is influenced by underlying biological differences in motor activity timekeeping. These differences may provide clues that link durable mood response with the molecular machinery of the circadian system, thus leading to more effective interventions. In addition, biomarkers of preinfusion motor activity (eg, amplitude, timing) may be useful for recommending future individualized treatment interventions, to the extent that they help identify patients who may relapse quickly after treatment.

Circadian pattern of motor activity in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

ABSTRACTThis study aims to describe the 24-hour activity rhythm in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A total of 18 ADHD patients and 37 healthy controls (HCs) wore an actigraph for 7 days. ADHD patients showed higher motor activity than HCs at 4:00, 6:00, 15:00 and 16:00 hour. Within the theoretical framework of the two-process model of sleep regulation, the observed data may be explained by lower homeostatic sleep pressure in ADHD. This could lead to an increase in motor activity in the second half of the night, when sleep need decreases more rapidly, and in the first half of the afternoon, when patients do not experience the typical post-lunch dip.

The influence of sleep and activity patterns on fatigue in women with HIV/AIDS.

The cause of HIV-related fatigue is most likely multifactorial. When presented as a chief complaint, clinicians often include an assessment of stress level, depression, anemia, infection, and amount of sleep and activity. The empirical bases for these evaluations vary in their validity and implementation in clinical practice, but the basis for evaluating adequate amounts of sleep and activity currently lacks empirical research. The purpose of this study was to describe HIV seropositive women's sleep and activity patterns related to their fatigue experience. Sleep and activity were assessed with wrist actigraphy to obtain objective measures of total sleep time, number of awakenings, and sleep efficiency, as well as level of daytime activity, 24-hour activity rhythm, and naps. This sample of 100 women with HIV/AIDS averaged only 6.5 hours of sleep at night, and 45% of the sample napped. CD4 cell counts were unrelated to sleep and fatigue measures. Compared to the low-fatigue group, the women with high fatigue had significantly more difficulty falling asleep, more awakenings from nighttime sleep, poorer daytime functioning, and a higher frequency of depressive symptoms. Findings from this study provide clinicians with empirically based support for detailed clinical evaluations of sleep and activity patterns, as well as anxiety and depression, in clients who complain of fatigue. Findings also provide data for potential interventions to improve sleep and activity in persons living with HIV/AIDS and to reduce fatigue and depressive symptoms.

The Influence of Sleep and Activity Patterns on Fatigue in Women With HIV/AIDS

The cause of HIV-related fatigue is most likely multifactorial. When presented as a chief complaint, clinicians often include an assessment of stress level, depression, anemia, infection, and amount of sleep and activity. The empirical bases for these evaluations vary in their validity and implementation in clinical practice, but the basis for evaluating adequate amounts of sleep and activity currently lacks empirical research. The purpose of this study was to describe HIV seropositive women's sleep and activity patterns related to their fatigue experience. Sleep and activity were assessed with wrist actigraphy to obtain objective measures of total sleep time, number of awakenings, and sleep efficiency, as well as level of daytime activity, 24-hour activity rhythm, and naps. This sample of 100 women with HIV/AIDS averaged only 6.5 hours of sleep at night, and 45% of the sample napped. CD4 cell counts were unrelated to sleep and fatigue measures. Compared to the low-fatigue group, the women with high fatigue had significantly more difficulty falling asleep, more awakenings from nighttime sleep, poorer daytime functioning, and a higher frequency of depressive symptoms. Findings from this study provide clinicians with empirically based support for detailed clinical evaluations of sleep and activity patterns, as well as anxiety and depression, in clients who complain of fatigue. Findings also provide data for potential interventions to improve sleep and activity in persons living with HIV/AIDS and to reduce fatigue and depressive symptoms.

ACTIVITY RHYTHMS OF LEPIDOPTEROUS DEFOLIATORS: II. HALISIDOTA ARGENTATA PACK. (ARCTIIDAE), AND NEPYTIA PHANTASMARIA STKR. (GEOMETRIDAE)

The 24-hour activity rhythms of a gregarious arctiid (Halisidota argentata Park.) and a geometrid (Nepytia phantasmaria Stkr.) were recorded automatically at different constant temperatures and in naturally varying light and temperatures. Larval activity on foliage, adult emergence, and adult flight were all associated with sunset; eclosion began in the dark hours, but in Nepytia was particularly associated with sunrise. The rhythms were found to be adapted to the different seasonal environments normally experienced by the insects, and activity was influenced by changes in light and temperature. The rhythm of Halisidota larvae, which are active throughout the British Columbia coastal winter as well as in the autumn and spring, undergoes a temperature-related phase reversal, the larvae becoming diurnal in the coldest periods of the winter, though nocturnal in warmer periods. Larval Nepytia are found only in summer; they are generally more active on warm days and have little resistance to cold. The activity of both species of moths is less influenced by low temperatures near sunset than late in the night. The sunrise peak in Nepytia males, which normally fly during autumn nights, is less influenced by low temperatures than the corresponding peak in Halisidota, which fly on summer nights.

Twenty-Four Hour Rhythms of Mammals in a Cold Environment

The biologist accepts that some mammals, like invertebrates, may have a biological clock which keeps its physiological activity in regular periods called biological rhythms. The search for the hypothetical mammalian clock or system of clocks must continue for many years, but the activities which are regulated are more apparent. Examples of mammalian rhythms are numerous since once it is determined that an animal's locomotor activity is periodic and also controlled by inner mechanisms (endogenous), one expects to find an accompanying rhythm or cycle of heart rate, metabolism, blood sugar, blood cell count, mitosis, body temperature, and kidney function. Recently investigators using rodents have stressed two approaches, (a.) modifying rhythms or (b.) describing them in quantitative terms. For example, Holmgren and Swensson (1953) have advanced the study of the effects of reversed light cycles, while Browman (1952) has succeeded in altering the 24-hour activity rhythms of rats to one of sixteen hours. Halberg and Visscher (1956) have described quantitatively eon sinophil rhythms and other rhythms in terms of a morning high and a night low which is critically dependent on the light sequence used. Calhoun (1956) has described three complexes of rodent behavior, for each of which frequency is a function of duration, and yet the duration of any behavior is completely independent of the duration of the preceeding or following one. This is referred to as an unpredictable ordering of a set of behaviors each of which has regularity in the frequency distribution of duration. The European school now groups their quantitative work under the title of cybernetics. They suggest that work on biological rhythms be called chronobiology, and also suggest the use of a new adjective, biorhythmical. As far as their experimental work is concerned, in Europe more than in the United States, the effects on man of reversing day and night, has been analyzed on shift workers. The physiological changes which were noted, were usually due to loss of sleep, or social alterations. Apparently no