Purpose of review: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased risk for dementia, yet mechanisms are poorly understood.
Recent findings: Recent literature suggests several potential mechanisms by which sleep impairments might contribute to the increased risk of dementia observed in PTSD. First, molecular, animal, and imaging studies indicate that sleep problems lead to cellular damage in brain structures crucial to learning and memory. Second, recent studies have shown that lack of sleep might precipitate the accumulation of harmful amyloid proteins. Finally, sleep and PTSD are associated with elevated inflammation, which, in turn, is associated with dementia, possibly via cytokine-mediated neural toxicity and reduced neurogenesis. A better understanding of these mechanisms may yield novel treatment approaches to reduce neurodegeneration in PTSD. The authors emphasize the importance of including sleep data in studies of PTSD and cognition and identify next steps.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s; Dementia; Inflammation, PTSD; Sleep; Stress; Veterans.