Does Acoustic Stimulation During Sleep Boost Slow Wave Sleep and Memory Performance?

University of Bern

Status: Completed

Conditions: Alzheimer Disease; Healthy; Mild Cognitive Impairment

Treatments: Other: Sham acoustic stimulation; Other: Closed loop acoustic stimulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04277104

2018-01979

Details and patient eligibility

About

With aging the amount of slow wave sleep decreases drastically and this disruption is markedly exaggerated in older adults suffering from mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Critically, the disruption of slow wave sleep and cognitive decline seem bidirectionally linked forming a vicious cycle. In the long run, improving slow wave sleep might be a useful intervention tool to delay the onset of cognitive decline. The present study aims at improving slow wave sleep and memory functions through a closed-loop acoustic stimulation approach. A closed-loop algorithm is used that detects slow waves in the electroencephalogram and is programmed to present short tones (50 ms) in the rhythm of these waves. This procedure has shown to boost both slow wave sleep as well as memory performance, mainly in young adults and when applied for one night. Here, the investigators apply tones via multiple consecutive nights and assess memory performance during this 3-night intervention.

Enrollment: 47 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60 to 85 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Written informed consent
• Fluent in German
• Normal or corrected to normal vision
• Unimpaired hearing
• For healthy group: Montreal Cognitive Assessment Score ≥ 26
• For MCI group: Montreal Cognitive Assessment Score < 26
• For at risk group: smoker, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high fasting plasma glucose OR smoker, high BMI, physically inactive, unhealthy dietary habits

Exclusion criteria

• Known sleep problems such as Insomnia, restless leg syndrome, apnea
• Irregular sleep pattern
• Symptoms of depression
• History of untreated severe neurological and psychiatric diseases
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Use of medication acting on the central nervous system

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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47 participants in 6 patient groups

Healthy intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Acoustic stimulation

Treatment:

Other: Closed loop acoustic stimulation

Healthy sham

Sham Comparator group

Description:

No stimulation

Treatment:

Other: Sham acoustic stimulation

At risk intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Acoustic stimulation

Treatment:

Other: Closed loop acoustic stimulation

At risk sham

Sham Comparator group

Description:

No stimulation

Treatment:

Other: Sham acoustic stimulation

MCI (mild cognitive impairment) intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Acoustic stimulation

Treatment:

Other: Closed loop acoustic stimulation

MCI (mild cognitive impairment) sham

Sham Comparator group

Description:

No stimulation

Treatment:

Other: Sham acoustic stimulation