# Dyadic Sleep, Biobehavioral Rhythms and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2024 · $994,847

## Abstract

Abstract
Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) demonstrate cognitive decline without major functional
impairment but also experience a 7-fold increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, a leading cause of
poorer quality of life (QOL), premature mortality, and health care expenditures. Sleep and biobehavioral rhythm
disturbances (disruptions in 24h oscillations in physiology and behavior, including rest-activity patterns and
mealtimes) are more than twice as common among patients with MCI than cognitively intact older adults.
Emerging evidence demonstrates a mechanistic role of sleep and biobehavioral rhythm disturbances in
cognitive decline and the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Importantly, the consequences
of sleep and biobehavioral rhythm disruption in MCI extend beyond the patient, also affecting the
spouse/partner, as sleep is a “shared” health behavior for most adults. However, sleep and biobehavioral
rhythms are typically considered at the level of the individual. Building on our team’s pioneering work on sleep
as a shared experience among couples, we propose to investigate sleep and biobehavioral rhythms as
fundamental dyadic processes that contribute to the health and cognitive functioning of individuals with MCI or
mild AD and their partners. We will evaluate the daily and longitudinal effects of two dyadic processes in sleep:
interdependence (partners’ sleep patterns influence on each other) and concordance (i.e., the couples’
similarity in rest/activity and social rhythms such as meal timing). We will conduct a 14-day naturalistic study
protocol in order to examine the mechanistic associations between sleep and biobehavioral rhythms and
proximal indicators of daytime functioning, within a sample of 170 couples in which one partner evidences
cognitive impairment (MCI to mild Alzheimer’s disease). During the naturalistic study protocol, we will capture
sleep and biobehavioral rhythms via objective (actigraphy) measures of sleep and circadian rest-activity
rhythms and daily social rhythms, respectively. Also, we will include daily assessments of mood and
relationship quality, and we will use an innovative smartphone cognitive assessment that has been validated to
measure cognitive function in daily life. In addition, we will conduct comprehensive neuropsychological
assessments at baseline and again at two-year follow-up to examine how sleep and biobehavioral rhythm
disruptions at baseline predict cognitive decline over 2 years in both partners. Results of study will advance the
understanding of the daily and longitudinal relationships between the individual and couple-level processes in
sleep and biobehavioral rhythms that influence the progression of cognitive decline in a population at increased
risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10814171
- **Project number:** 5R01AG080530-02
- **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:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $994,847
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-04-01 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10814171

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10814171, Dyadic Sleep, Biobehavioral Rhythms and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease (5R01AG080530-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10814171. Licensed CC0.

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