8 papers4 findings
Healthy sleep phenotypes
upin humans1
Healthy sleep phenotypes are associated with slow waves in humans.
“Groups with preserved or healthier sleep showed more numerous, higher-amplitude, steeper, and shorter slow waves”
Humansn = 1,468
medRxiv10 Aug 2026Preprint
Female sex
upin humans1
Female sex is associated with slow waves in humans.
“While SWA was higher in females overall, sex differences were not significant within the INS or HS groups.”
HumansOverall sample during NREM sleep; within-group sex differences were not significantOne nightFemale versus malesn = 222
Beyond Aging, Sex and Insomnia Disorder Shape NREM Brain Oscillations
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)19 Mar 2026Preprint
Anxiety symptoms
upin humans1
Slow waves predict anxiety symptoms in humans.
“Greater impairment in nighttime SWA predicted higher next-day anxiety in older adults, both at baseline and at follow-up.”
Humanscognitively healthyn = 61
Impaired slow-wave sleep accounts for brain aging-related increases in anxiety
Communications psychology4 Feb 2026
Locus coeruleus integrity
upin humans1
Locus coeruleus integrity is associated with slow waves in humans.
“Higher LC integrity was associated with greater slow-wave activity and slow oscillation power, with stronger effects in females.”
Humansbrain
Relationship between locus coeruleus and slow-wave sleep in aging and Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association1 Feb 2026
National Institute on AgingUS$3.7mNational Institute of Mental HealthUS$2.1mNational Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentUS$1.7m
National Institute on AgingUniversity of PennsylvaniaUS$612k2025–2030
National Institute on AgingNew York University School of MedicineUS$188k2021–2026
National Institute on AgingUniversity of Pittsburgh at PittsburghUS$625.6k2021–2027
National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentUniversity of Colorado, DenverUS$461.7k2021–2027
Slow Wave Induction by Propofol to Eliminate Depression (SWIPED) Trial
National Institute of Mental HealthWashington UniversityUS$699.6k2022–2027
National Institute on AgingSynaptic HealthUS$499.4k2024–2027
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeUniversity of ArizonaUS$440.6k2024–2027
In 64 older adults tracked for 2.6 years, lower rapid eye movement sleep was linked to a faster drop in a blood marker of Alzheimer's disease.In 64 older adults tracked for 2.6 years, lower rapid eye movement sleep was linked to a faster drop in a blood marker of Alzheimer's disease.