Experimental acute sleep disruption and AB and tau dynamics: a scoping review

The glymphatic system has been proposed as a mechanism by which metabolites are cleared from the brain during sleep. The sleep-dependent clearance of proteins underlying neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, has received growing attention due to the implications for therapeutic interventions. A number of human studies report increased AB following acute experimental sleep disruption. However, these studies are undermined by methodological inconsistencies. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that increased AB production during sleep deprivation may partly explain the biomarker shifts usually attributed to reduced clearance. This scoping review aims to map and critically appraise human experimental studies that have examined the acute effects of controlled sleep disruption on biochemically quantified Aβ or Tau-related metrics in healthy adults. We focus on study designs, biomarker methods, and reported effects to better clarify current evidence and methodological gaps.