Sleep alterations in the course of aging environmental inputs

Panagiotou, M. (2020)

Doctoral Thesis

My research projects include the investigation of effects of different environmental factors on sleep and the circadian clock in the course of aging (such as light levels, exercise, diet and pharmacological substances including caffeine and diazepam). Investigating the
beneficial or adverse effects in the course of aging provides significant insights that could accelerate, hinder or ameliorate parts of the aging process allowing for a healthier and longer life span.
Chronic consupmtion of high-caloric diet, eventually leading to obesity, alters the sleep homeostasis as well as the sleep architecture denoting a potentially enhanced aging phenotype.
In addition to dietary preferences, light levels particularly at night significantly affect sleep and the sleep electroencephalogram across a wide age span, impacting
the sleep regulatory system as well as the brain integrity.
Factors that induce beneficial effects include exercise and caffeine intake. Long-term exercise was able to lead to a younger brain phenotype across all ages while caffeine generally ameliorated sleep health.

• Sleep
• Aging
• High-caloric diet
• exercise
• dim-light-at-night
• caffeine intake
• electroencephalogram (EEG)
• slow-wave-activity (SWA)
• machine learning techniques
• mouse model

• All authors: Panagiotou, M.
• Supervisor: Meijer, J.H.
• Co-supervisor: Boer, T. de
• Committee: Meijer, O.C.; Rohling, J.H.T.; Slagboom, P.E.; Heemst, D. van; IJzerman, A.P.; Landolt, H.P.; Werf, Y.D. van; Vyazovsiy, V.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University
• Date: 2020-05-14
• ISBN (print): 9789463807920