# Effects of behavioral sleep extension on Alzheimers disease relevant blood biomarkers and cognitive performance

> **NIH NIH R01** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2021 · $337,828

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Decades of experimental and epidemiologic research link short sleep duration to adverse cardiometabolic
health. Furthermore, emerging research points to direct biological mechanisms linking short sleep duration to
cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Despite decades documenting the deleterious effects of short sleep
duration, few studies have sought to improve risk or modify Alzheimer’s disease trajectories by extending
sleep. Sleep extension interventions hold promise to improve cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk, cognition
and quality of life. To date, several small studies have demonstrated short term improvements in sleep and
CMD risk such as blood pressure and glycemic control. However, existing studies in adults have not addressed
whether sleep extension interventions impact cognitive performance and biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease
risk. The goal of this application is to extend the aims of our parent study to include an examination of
the impact of our randomized behavioral sleep extension intervention on Alzheimer’s related
biomarkers (blood metabolomics) and cognitive performance measures. In our parent study, we are
conducting a randomized controlled trial to test our behavioral sleep extension intervention compared to a
health education control group on sleep and CMD risk among adults with prehypertension/stage I
hypertension. The 12-month study includes an intervention period (weeks 1-8, weekly intervention),
maintenance period (months 2-6, monthly intervention) and follow-up period (no intervention). The primary
outcome for the parent study is sleep duration and the main secondary outcome is 24-h ambulatory blood
pressure monitoring, which allows us to evaluate both daytime and nighttime blood pressures. The design of
this parent study will allow us to examine the acute (8 week) and sustained (12 month) changes in sleep
duration, BP and important psychological, behavioral and physiological mediators including self-reported
sleepiness, BMI, diet, physical activity, glycemic control and inflammation. The receipt of this Alzheimer’s
disease supplement will allow us to extend the scope of our parent study to examine the effects of our
sleep extension intervention on blood biomarkers and cognitive performance. Successful completion of
this study will provide critical information about the impact of behavioral sleep extension on important
measures of health and quality of life needed to incorporate sleep extension into CMD, and potentially
Alzheimer’s disease risk interventions. Completion of this supplement will identify potential biochemical
pathways and behavioral phenotypes that respond to sleep extension. Identification of these biological and
behavioral markers of response to sleep extension has the potential to lead to identification of biomarkers and
novel targets to reduce Alzheimer’s Disease risk.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10288146
- **Project number:** 3R01NR018891-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Kelly Glazer Baron
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $337,828
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-04-27 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10288146

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10288146, Effects of behavioral sleep extension on Alzheimers disease relevant blood biomarkers and cognitive performance (3R01NR018891-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10288146. Licensed CC0.

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