Genetic evidence for the associations of sleep patterns with cognitive function in older adults: insights from polygenic scores in the Taiwan biobank

Mar 9, 2026European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience

Genetic links between sleep habits and thinking skills in older adults from the Taiwan biobank

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Abstract

Higher genetic risk scores for early chronotype and long sleep duration are associated with lower baseline cognitive performance in late life.

Individuals with higher genetic predisposition to early chronotype and longer sleep duration had lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores at baseline.
The effect of long sleep on cognitive decline was more pronounced in individuals with lower educational attainment.
No significant changes in MMSE scores were linked to sleep traits over the follow-up period.
Higher educational attainment may reduce cognitive vulnerability associated with genetic predispositions to long sleep.

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BACKGROUND: Sleep traits have been linked to cognitive aging, but observational associations are susceptible to confounding and reverse causation. Using genetically informed polygenic risk scores (PRSs), this study examined associations between genetic liability to sleep traits and cognitive function in an East Asian population. We further assessed whether educational attainment, as a marker of cognitive reserve, modifies these associations.

METHODS: Participants aged ≥ 60 years from the Taiwan Biobank underwent cognitive assessment using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline (n = 27,343) and follow-up (n = 6,273; mean follow-up = 3.9 years). PRSs for chronotype, sleep duration, long sleep, short sleep, insomnia, and daytime napping were constructed. Associations with baseline MMSE and longitudinal MMSE change were evaluated, and PRS × education interactions were tested.

RESULTS: Higher PRSs for early chronotype, longer sleep duration, and long sleep (> 8 h) were associated with lower baseline MMSE scores (β range per SD increase: -0.05 to - 0.03), but were not associated with MMSE change over follow-up. A significant interaction was observed between long-sleep PRS and education for MMSE change (p for interaction = 0.0008), with greater decline among individuals with lower educational attainment. In contrast, no association was observed in higher-education groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Genetic liability to early chronotype and long sleep duration is associated with lower late-life cognitive performance, primarily reflecting differences in baseline cognitive status rather than short-term cognitive decline. Higher educational attainment may mitigate cognitive vulnerability associated with genetic predisposition to long sleep, consistent with a cognitive-reserve framework.

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Genetic evidence for the associations of sleep patterns with cognitive function in older adults: insights from polygenic scores in the Taiwan biobank

Abstract

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