Seniors with sleep problems could be at higher risk of a pre-dementia brain condition The condition causes slow walking speed and some memory problems Seniors with excessive daytime drowsiness and a lack of enthusiasm are three times more likely to develop the condition THURSDAY, Nov. 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who are drowsy during the day and find it hard to muster enthusiasm for activities could be at higher risk of a brain condition that precedes dementia , a new study warns. These sleep-related problems are associated with "motoric cognitive risk syndrome," a pre-dementia condition that causes slow walking speed and some memory problems, researchers explained.
People with excessive daytime sleepiness and a lack of enthusiasm are more than three times more likely to develop this syndrome, compared to people without those sleep-related problems, researchers reported Nov. 6 in the journal Neurology . “More research needs to be done to look at the relationship between sleep issues and cognitive decline and the role played by motoric cognitive risk syndrome,” said researcher Dr.
Victoire Leroy , with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. “We also need studies to explain the mechanisms that link these sleep disturbances to motoric cognitive risk syndrome and cognitive decline.” For the study, researchers recruited 445 people, average age 76, without dementia.
These seniors filled out questionnaires about sleep habits and memory issues, and .