Speaker: Professor Kristine Yaffe, Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Epidemiology, Roy and Marie Scola Endowed Chair, Vice Chair of Research in Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Sleep disturbances are common in older adults, and studies suggest that poor sleep quality may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. However, most epidemiological investigations have been limited by cross sectional design and subjective measures of sleep quality. Recently, epidemiological evidences from prospective studies have linked objectively measured sleep variables, including sleep efficiency, changes in sleep architecture, and periodic limb movements, to cognitive impairment. Findings suggest that this association may be bidirectional. Furthermore, abormal circadian rhythms and sleep disordered breathing may also increase risk of dementia. While further exploration of the mechanisms of these associations is needed, modification of sleep quality could be a promising target for dementia prevention, particularly as sleep disorders and disturbances are often treatable.