University of Surrey granted £1.7m for dementia sleep research

The University of Surrey has been granted £1.7 million to continue researching the sleep patterns of people living with dementia.

The team at Surrey, led by Professor Derk-Jan Dijk, are using these funds to expand their research which uses non-invasive technologies to monitor the circadian rhythm of dementia sufferers. This research is being conducted in close collaboration, as part of the UK Dementia Research Institute, with Imperial College London and the Surrey and Borders Partnership Trust.

Director of Surrey Sleep Research Centre Professor Derk-Jan Dijk said: “People living with dementia often have issues with sleep and, often, their memory is seemingly worse after a bad night. Good quality sleep is integral to our cognitive health, and now we need to test whether improving the sleep of those living with dementia will slow down the progression of the condition and preserve an individual's memory for longer.

''To assist with this, we have the opportunity to use new technologies to both monitor and potentially improve the sleep of dementia sufferers over an extended period, in a way that is non-intrusive and supportive to people living with dementia and their carers.  

“This award is invaluable in helping us to continue our work and I am grateful to the UK DRI, the Medical Research Council, Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society for making this possible.” 

The team at Surrey are using mathematical modelling, machine learning, video analysis of sleep behaviour, and molecular biomarker approaches alongside their non-invasive sleep monitoring technologies. The aim is for all of these methods to yield a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between disease progression, symptoms, circadian rhythms, and sleep in dementia sufferers.

This research also involves the continuation of the testing of new interventions to improve sleep. Interventions to be tested include changing brain oscillations through delivery of precisely targeted auditory stimulation during REM sleep (a sleep stage thought to be particular important for brain function) or improving the light environment to boost circadian rhythms. 

Director of Research and Influencing at Alzheimer’s Society and a Surrey alumni Fiona Carragher said: “As a founding partner and funder of the UK DRI, we are very proud of what the Institute has achieved since its launch in 2017. We congratulate everyone involved in placing it on the map as a global leader in dementia research and for the great impact it has had so far.

‘’This has included critical research into developing new diagnostic tools to ensure people living with dementia receive an early and accurate diagnosis, potentially giving them access to one of the disease-modifying treatments we hope to see emerging from the clinical trials pipeline in the coming years.” 

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