Sleep quality and cognitive and functional abilities in people with spinal muscular atrophy.
What is it about?
5q-spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects motor neurons and leads to muscle weakness and functional decline. Sleep quality has been linked to cognition and physical function in some neurodegenerative diseases, but less is known about this association in spinal muscular atrophy. Among 21 people with spinal muscular atrophy and 23 controls, we found that better subjectively measured sleep quality was associated with better physical function in people with spinal muscular atrophy. We did not find an association between sleep quality and cognition.
Why is it important?
This study indicates that assessing sleep quality in people with spinal muscular atrophy is important to understand the clinical progression of their functional abilities and perhaps provides a window to intervene to improve functioning and quality of life.