Oscillations in Non-REM Sleep Offer New Insight Into Alzheimer Disease Biology: Bryce Mander, PhD

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"Oscillations reflect synchronized brain activity that guides memory and neuroplasticity. By isolating these from background noise, we can better identify where and how degeneration starts."

Over the years, sleep oscillations, particularly slow waves and sleep spindles, have been more widely researched as potential targets for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. In 2020, a notable paper led by Dara Manoach, PhD, and others prosed that sleep oscillations may be a viable route to improve cognition in patients with schizophrenia, although effective therapies will need to preserve or enhance sleep oscillatory dynamics and restore function at the network level.

Since then, the topic has been further discussed, with even more attention given at the 2025 SLEEP Annual Meeting, held June 8-11 in Seattle, Washington. One presentation, given by Bryce Mander, PhD, focused on understanding how sleep changes at a fundamental level, from global architectural changes to local changes in how the brain expresses brain waves or oscillations. In his talk, he focused on how brain states associated with sleep relate to other neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer disease and the interest behind interventions that target sleep oscillations.

Mander, an associate professor of psychiatry & human behavior at the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory at UC Irvine, sat down with NeurologyLive^® during the meeting to discuss his presentation and the role of sleep oscillations in memory consolidation and brain function. In the interview, Mander explained how altered oscillatory behavior may reflect changes in the excitatory/inhibitory balance of the brain and highlighted the potential of these patterns as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Overall, his work points toward a more refined understanding of how sleep physiology can inform neurologic health and disease intervention.

Click here for more SLEEP 2025 coverage.

REFERENCE
1. Manoach DS, Mylyonas D, Baxter B. Targeting sleep oscillations to improve memory in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. 2020;221:63-70. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2020.01.010