Troxel Wendy M, Baucom Brian R W, Euler Matthew J, Bermudez Bobbie, Baron Kelly G
Division of Social and Economic Wellbeing, RAND, 4570 Fifth Ave #600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States of America.
Department of Psychology, University of Utah, 380 S. 1530 E., Room 502, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States of America.
Sleep Adv. 2025 Aug 30;6(3):zpaf043. doi: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpaf043. eCollection 2025.
Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) demonstrate cognitive decline without major functional impairment and are at increased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Sleep and biobehavioral rhythm disturbances (disruptions in 24-h 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. Importantly, the consequences of sleep and biobehavioral rhythm disruption in MCI extend beyond the patient, also profoundly affecting the spouse/partner. However, scant research has investigated sleep and biobehavioral rhythms that may contribute to the health and cognitive functioning of individuals with MCI and their partners. The current paper presents the rationale and methods for the Couples Healthy Aging and Rhythms (CHARMS) study, a longitudinal cohort study of sleep and biobehavioral rhythms among older couples in which one partner evidences cognitive decline but is independent in daily functioning. The targeted enrollment goal will consist of 185 couples who meet study eligibility criteria including that one partner shows evidence of cognitive decline but reports being independent in daily activities. This is a longitudinal observational study that includes a baseline assessment, a seven-day at-home naturalistic study protocol, and a two-year follow-up to examine change over time. Findings from this 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 ADRD.
轻度认知障碍（MCI）患者表现出认知能力下降，但无重大功能障碍，且患阿尔茨海默病及相关痴呆症（ADRD）的风险增加。睡眠和生物行为节律紊乱（生理和行为的24小时振荡中断，包括休息-活动模式和用餐时间）在MCI患者中的发生率是认知功能正常的老年人的两倍多。重要的是，MCI患者睡眠和生物行为节律紊乱的后果不仅限于患者自身，还会对配偶/伴侣产生深远影响。然而，很少有研究调查可能影响MCI患者及其伴侣健康和认知功能的睡眠和生物行为节律。本文介绍了夫妻健康老龄化与节律（CHARMS）研究的基本原理和方法，这是一项针对老年夫妻睡眠和生物行为节律的纵向队列研究，其中一方伴侣存在认知能力下降，但日常生活功能独立。目标招募对象为185对符合研究资格标准的夫妻，包括一方伴侣有认知能力下降的证据，但报告在日常活动中功能独立。这是一项纵向观察性研究，包括基线评估、为期七天的家庭自然主义研究方案以及为期两年的随访，以考察随时间的变化。这项研究的结果将有助于增进对睡眠和生物行为节律中个体与夫妻层面过程之间的日常及纵向关系的理解，这些关系会影响ADRD发病风险增加人群中认知能力下降的进展。
