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BACKGROUND: Patients with breast cancer (BC) exhibit circadian rhythm disruptions, mainly of rest-activity rhythm (RAR), of which sleep is an essential component, and cortisol rhythm. Sleep complaints such as insomnia and cognitive impairments are prevalent in BC. In general population, sleep is known to contribute greatly to cognition. Thus, improving RAR (and particularly sleep) could help limiting cognitive impairments in BC patients. It has recently been suggested that, in addition to its essential role in spatial memory, the vestibular system contributes to RAR synchronization. Its stimulation could therefore limit both sleep disturbances and spatial memory deficits in BC. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of the ICANSLEEP-2 study is to assess the effects of galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) on circadian rhythms. The secondary aim is to assess whether GVS improves sleep and spatial memory in BC patients. METHODS: Two groups with insomnia complaints (Insomnia Severity Index > 7) will be included: a patients' group with BC (n = 50) and a healthy control group without history of cancer (n = 25). There will be two assessment sessions, before and after 2 weeks of GVS. Patients will be randomly assigned to either a GVS group or a sham group (noneffective stimulation). Controls will receive GVS. GVS effects will be quantified and compared between groups. Assessments will include actigraphy, salivary cortisol, polysomnography, a cognitive test battery (including a computer-based task for spatial memory) and validated questionnaires (for psychological functioning and sleep complaints). DISCUSSION: Current methods for improving sleep in BC have had controversial outcomes regarding sleep structure. We expect GVS to offer a new mean of directly targeting RAR disruptions in BC patients, with beneficial effects on sleep structure. Given the crucial impact of sleep on cognitive functioning, notably spatial memory, improving sleep of BC patients should enhance their cognitive functioning. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study received ethical approval from the Ile de France IV institutional review board on 19 April 2022 (no. ID-RCB: 2022-A00437-36). The findings yielded by this protocol will be presented at various conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05414357.
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Neoplasias de la Mama , Ritmo Circadiano , Sueño , Memoria Espacial , Humanos , Neoplasias de la Mama/complicaciones , Femenino , Ritmo Circadiano/fisiología , Memoria Espacial/fisiología , Sueño/fisiología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto , Vestíbulo del Laberinto/fisiopatología , Trastornos del Inicio y del Mantenimiento del Sueño/terapia , Trastornos del Inicio y del Mantenimiento del Sueño/fisiopatología , Terapia por Estimulación Eléctrica/métodosRESUMEN
Aging is characterized by substantial changes in sleep architecture that negatively impact fitness, quality of life, mood, and cognitive functioning. Older adults often fail to reach the recommended level of physical activity to prevent the age-related decline in sleep function, partly because of geographical barriers. Implementing home-based interventions could surmount these obstacles, thereby encouraging older adults to stay active, with videoconference administration emerging as a promising solution. Increasing the availability of biological rhythms synchronizers, such as physical activity, light exposure, or vestibular stimulation, represents a viable non-pharmacological strategy for entraining circadian rhythms and potentially fortifying the sleep-wake cycle, thereby enhancing sleep in aging. This study aims to (1) assess the impact of remote physical exercise training and its combination with bright light exposure, and (2) investigate the specific contribution of galvanic vestibular stimulation, to sleep quality among healthy older adults with sleep complaints. One hundred healthy older adults aged 60-70 years with sleep complaints will be randomly allocated to one of four groups: a physical exercise training group (n = 25), a physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure group (n = 25), a galvanic vestibular stimulation group (n = 25) or a control group (i.e., health education) (n = 25). While physical exercise training and health education will be supervised via videoconference at home, bright light exposure (for the physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure group) and vestibular stimulation will be self-administered at home. Pre-and post-tests will be conducted to evaluate various parameters, including sleep (polysomnography, subjective questionnaires), circadian rhythms (actigraphy, temperature), fitness (physical: VO2 peak, muscular function; and motor: balance, and functional mobility), cognition (executive function, long-term memory), quality of life and mood (anxiety and depression). The findings will be anticipated to inform the development of recommendations and non-pharmaceutical preventive strategies for enhancing sleep quality in older adults, potentially leading to improvements in fitness, cognition, quality of life, and mood throughout aging.
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Comunicación por Videoconferencia , Humanos , Anciano , Persona de Mediana Edad , Femenino , Masculino , Ejercicio Físico , Calidad de Vida , Sueño/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Objective: Poor sleep and high levels of repetitive negative thinking (RNT), including future-directed (ie, worry) and past-directed (ie, brooding) negative thoughts, have been associated with markers of dementia risk. The relationship between RNT and sleep health in older adults is unknown. This study aimed to investigate this association and its specificities including multiple dimensions of objective and subjective sleep. Methods: This study used a cross sectional quantitative design with baseline data from 127 cognitively healthy older adults (mean age 69.4 ± 3.8 years; 63% female) who took part in the Age-Well clinical trial, France. RNT (ie, worry and brooding) levels were measured using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and the Rumination Response Scale (brooding subscale). Polysomnography was used to assess sleep objectively, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire were used to measure sleep subjectively. In primary analyses the associations between RNT and sleep (ie, objective sleep duration, fragmentation and efficiency and subjective sleep disturbance) were assessed via adjusted regressions. Results: Higher levels of RNT were associated with poorer objective sleep efficiency (worry: ß=-0.32, p<0.001; brooding: ß=-0.26, p=0.002), but not objective sleep duration, fragmentation, or subjective sleep disturbance. Additional analyses, however, revealed differences in levels of worry between those with short, compared with typical and long objective sleep durations (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In cognitively healthy older adults, RNT was associated with sleep characteristics that have been implicated in increased dementia risk. It will take additional research to ascertain the causal link between RNT and sleep characteristics and how they ultimately relate to the risk of developing dementia.
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STUDY OBJECTIVES: In aging, reduced delta power (0.5-4 Hz) during N2 and N3 sleep has been associated with gray matter (GM) atrophy and hypometabolism within frontal regions. Some studies have also reported associations between N2 and N3 sleep delta power in specific sub-bands and amyloid pathology. Our objective was to better understand the relationships between spectral power in delta sub-bands during N2-N3 sleep and brain integrity using multimodal neuroimaging. METHODS: In-home polysomnography was performed in 127 cognitively unimpaired older adults (mean ageâ ±â SD: 69.0â ±â 3.8 years). N2-N3 sleep EEG power was calculated in delta (0.5-4 Hz), slow delta (0.5-1 Hz), and fast delta (1-4 Hz) frequency bands. Participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging and Florbetapir-PET (early and late acquisitions) scans to assess GM volume, brain perfusion, and amyloid burden. Amyloid accumulation over ~21 months was also quantified. RESULTS: Higher delta power was associated with higher GM volume mainly in fronto-cingular regions. Specifically, slow delta power was positively correlated with GM volume and perfusion in these regions, while the inverse association was observed with fast delta power. Delta power was neither associated with amyloid burden at baseline nor its accumulation over time, whatever the frequency band considered. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that slow delta is particularly associated with preserved brain structure, and highlight the importance of analyzing delta power sub-bands to better understand the associations between delta power and brain integrity. Further longitudinal investigations with long follow-ups are needed to disentangle the associations among sleep, amyloid pathology, and dementia risk in older populations. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: Name: Study in Cognitively Intact Seniors Aiming to Assess the Effects of Meditation Training (Age-Well). URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02977819?term=Age-Well&draw=2&rank=1. See STROBE_statement_AGEWELL in supplemental materials. REGISTRATION: EudraCT: 2016-002441-36; IDRCB: 2016-A01767-44; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02977819.
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Sueño de Onda Lenta , Anciano , Humanos , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Electroencefalografía , Neuroimagen , Polisomnografía , Sueño , Fases del SueñoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Many patients treated for breast cancer (BC) complain about cognitive difficulties affecting their daily lives. Recently, sleep disturbances and circadian rhythm disruptions have been brought to the fore as potential contributors to cognitive difficulties in patients with BC. Yet, studies on these factors as well as their neural correlates are scarce. The purpose of the ICANSLEEP-1 (Impact of SLEEP disturbances in CANcer) study is to characterize sleep using polysomnography and its relationship with the evolution of cognitive functioning at both the behavioral and the neuroanatomical levels across treatment in BC patients treated or not with adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: ICANSLEEP-1 is a longitudinal study including BC patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 25) or not treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 25) and healthy controls with no history of BC (n = 25) matched for age (45-65 years old) and education level. The evaluations will take place within 6 weeks after inclusion, before the initiation of chemotherapy (for BC patients who are candidates for chemotherapy) or before the first fraction of radiotherapy (for BC patients with no indication for chemotherapy) and 6 months later (corresponding to 2 weeks after the end of chemotherapy). Episodic memory, executive functions, psychological factors, and quality of life will be assessed with validated neuropsychological tests and self-questionnaires. Sleep quantity and quality will be assessed with polysomnography and circadian rhythms with both actigraphy and saliva cortisol. Grey and white matter volumes, as well as white matter microstructural integrity, will be compared across time between patients and controls and will serve to further investigate the relationship between sleep disturbances and cognitive decline. DISCUSSION: Our results will help patients and clinicians to better understand sleep disturbances in BC and their relationship with cognitive functioning across treatment. This will aid the identification of more appropriate sleep therapeutic approaches adapted to BC patients. Improving sleep in BC would eventually help limit cognitive deficits and thus improve quality of life during and after treatments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05414357, registered June 10, 2022. PROTOCOL VERSION: Version 1.2 dated March 23, 2022.
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Neoplasias de la Mama , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neoplasias de la Mama/complicaciones , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Quimioterapia Adyuvante/efectos adversos , Ritmo Circadiano , Cognición , Estudios Longitudinales , Calidad de Vida , Sueño , Estudios de Casos y ControlesRESUMEN
Sleep, especially slow wave sleep (SWS), is essential for cognitive functioning and is reduced in aging. The impact of sleep quality on cognition is variable, especially in aging. Cognitive reserve (CR) may be an important modulator of these effects. We aimed at investigating this question to better identify individuals in whom sleep disturbances might have greater behavioral consequences. Polysomnography and neuropsychological assessments were performed in 135 cognitively intact older adults (mean age ± SD: 69.4 ± 3.8y) from the Age-Well randomized controlled trial (baseline data). Two measures of cognitive engagement throughout life were used as CR proxies. Linear regression analyses were performed between the proportion of SWS, and executive function and episodic memory composite scores. Then, interaction analyses between SWS and CR proxies on cognition were conducted to assess the possible impact of CR on these links. SWS was positively associated with episodic memory, but not with executive function. CR proxies modulated the associations between SWS and both executive and episodic memory performance. Specifically, individuals with higher CR were able to maintain cognitive performance despite low amounts of SWS. This study provides the first evidence that CR may protect against the deleterious effects of age-related sleep changes on cognition.
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Reserva Cognitiva , Sueño de Onda Lenta , Anciano , Humanos , Cognición , Vida Independiente , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , SueñoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) has been related to amyloid deposition and an increased dementia risk. However, how SDB relates to medial temporal lobe neurodegeneration and subsequent episodic memory impairment is unclear. Our objective was to investigate the impact of amyloid positivity on the associations between SDB severity, medial temporal lobe subregions, and episodic memory performance in cognitively unimpaired older adults. METHODS: Data were acquired between 2016 and 2020 in the context of the Age-Well randomized controlled trial of the Medit-Aging European project. Participants older than 65 years who were free of neurologic, psychiatric, or chronic medical diseases were recruited from the community. They completed a neuropsychological evaluation, in-home polysomnography, a Florbetapir PET, and an MRI, including a specific high-resolution assessment of the medial temporal lobe and hippocampal subfields. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to test interactions between amyloid status and SDB severity on the volume of MTL subregions, controlling for age, sex, education, and the ApoE4 status. Secondary analyses aimed at investigating the links between SDB, MTL subregional atrophy, and episodic memory performance at baseline and at a mean follow-up of 20.66 months in the whole cohort and in subgroups stratified according to amyloid status. RESULTS: We included 122 cognitively intact community-dwelling older adults (mean age ± SD: 69.40 ± 3.85 years, 77 women, 26 Aß+ individuals) in baseline analyses and 111 at follow-up. The apnea-hypopnea index interacted with entorhinal (ß = -0.81, p < 0.001, pη2 = 0.19), whole hippocampal (ß = -0.61, p < 0.001, pη2 = 0.10), subiculum (ß = -0.56, p = 0.002, pη2 = 0.08), CA1 (ß = -0.55, p = 0.002, pη2 = 0.08), and DG (ß = -0.53, p = 0.003, pη2 = 0.08) volumes such that a higher sleep apnea severity was related to lower MTL subregion volumes in amyloid-positive individuals, but not in those who were amyloid negative. In the whole cohort, lower whole hippocampal (r = 0.27, p = 0.005) and CA1 (r = 0.28, p = 0.003) volumes at baseline were associated with worse episodic memory performance at follow-up. DISCUSSION: Overall, we showed that SDB was associated with MTL atrophy in cognitively asymptomatic older adults engaged in the Alzheimer continuum, which may increase the risk of developing memory impairment over time. TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02977819.
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Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Disfunción Cognitiva , Humanos , Femenino , Anciano , Lóbulo Temporal/metabolismo , Acrilatos , Amiloide/metabolismo , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Proteínas Amiloidogénicas , Atrofia , Tomografía de Emisión de Positrones , Péptidos beta-Amiloides/metabolismoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is markedly altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and its reduction in older populations is associated with AD risk. However, little is known about the underlying brain mechanisms. Our objective was to investigate the relationships between REM sleep integrity and amyloid deposition, gray matter volume, and perfusion in aging. METHODS: We included 121 cognitively unimpaired older adults (76 women, mean age 68.96 ± 3.82 years), who underwent a polysomnography, T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, early and late Florbetapir positron emission tomography scans to evaluate gray matter volume, perfusion, and amyloid deposition. We computed indices reflecting REM sleep macro- and microstructural integrity (ie, normalized electroencephalographic spectral power values). Voxel-wise multiple regression analyses were conducted between REM sleep indices and neuroimaging data, controlling for age, sex, education, the apnea-hypopnea index, and the apolipoprotein E ε4 status. RESULTS: Lower perfusion in frontal, anterior and posterior cingulate, and precuneus areas was associated with decreased delta power and electroencephalographic slowing (slow/fast frequencies ratio), and increased alpha and beta power. To a lower extent, similar results were obtained between gray matter volume and delta, alpha, and beta power. In addition, lower REM sleep theta power was more marginally associated with greater diffuse amyloid deposition and lower gray matter volume in fronto-temporal and parieto-occipital areas. INTERPRETATION: These results suggest that alterations of REM sleep microstructure are associated with greater neurodegeneration and neocortical amyloid deposition in older adults. Further studies are warranted to replicate these findings, and determine whether older adults exhibiting REM sleep alterations are more at risk of cognitive decline and belonging to the Alzheimer's continuum. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:979-990.
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Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Sueño REM , Humanos , Femenino , Anciano , Péptidos beta-Amiloides/metabolismo , Encéfalo/patología , Envejecimiento , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/patología , Tomografía de Emisión de Positrones/métodos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodosRESUMEN
Sleep plays a crucial role in memory consolidation. Recent data in rodents and young adults revealed that fast spindle band power fluctuates at a 0.02-Hz infraslow scale during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. These fluctuations result from a periodic temporal clustering of spindles and may modulate sleep maintenance and memory consolidation. With age, sleep undergoes substantial changes but age-related changes in spindle clustering have never been investigated. Polysomnography data were collected in 147 older (mean ageâ ±â SD: 69.3â ±â 4.1 years) and 32 young-middle aged (34.5â ±â 10.9 years) adults. Sleep-dependent memory consolidation was assessed in a subsample of 57 older adults using a visuospatial memory task. We analyzed power fluctuations in fast spindle frequency band, detected fast spindles, and quantified their clustering during the night separating encoding and retrieval. Fast spindle band power fluctuated at a 0.02-Hz infraslow scale in young-middle aged and older adults. However, the proportion of clustered fast spindles decreased non-linearly with age (pâ <â .001). This effect was not mediated by NREM sleep fragmentation. The clustering level of fast spindles modulated their characteristics (pâ <â .001). Finally, the mean size of spindle clusters was positively associated with memory consolidation (pâ =â .036) and negatively with NREM sleep micro-arousal density (pâ =â .033). These results suggest that clusters of fast spindles may constitute stable sleep periods promoting off-line processes such as memory consolidation. We emphasize the relevance of considering spindle dynamics, obviously impaired during aging, to understand the impact of age-related sleep changes on memory. Clinical Trial Information: Name: Study in Cognitively Intact Seniors Aiming to Assess the Effects of Meditation Training (Age-Well). URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02977819?term=Age-Well&draw=2&rank=1. See STROBE_statement_AGEWELL.doc in supplementary material. Registration: EudraCT: 2016-002441-36; IDRCB: 2016-A01767-44; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02977819.
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Consolidación de la Memoria , Sueño de Onda Lenta , Movimientos Oculares , Sueño , Polisomnografía/métodos , ElectroencefalografíaRESUMEN
Background: Previous studies have revealed both sleep alterations and prospective memory (PM) impairments in breast cancer (BC) patients. PM refers to memory of intended actions and is crucial for daily living tasks and treatment compliance. As sleep is known to favor memory consolidation, one may expect that changes in sleep quality related to BC would have an impact on PM performance. This study aimed at assessing sleep-dependent consolidation of intentions using an ecological, virtual reality-based PM task in BC patients not treated with chemotherapy. Materials and methods: Thirty-seven early stages BC patients and 21 healthy controls (HC) participated in this study. PM was assessed using a virtual reality task, during which participants learnt a list of intentions and recalled them after a retention interval filled with a day awake or a night of sleep monitored by polysomnography. Sleep spindles and slow waves, brain oscillations involved in sleep-dependent memory consolidation, were quantified automatically using the Aseega software (Physip). Subjective sleep disturbances and markers of quality of life (psychological distress, fatigue, and well-being) were assessed by questionnaires. Results: Greater PM performance was observed after sleep than after an equivalent period of daytime wakefulness for both groups (HC and BC). PM performance after sleep did not differ significantly between groups. Yet, BC patients reported greater sleep disturbances than HC which were related with poorer intentions retrieval, greater psychological distress, fatigue and poorer well-being. The frequency of spindles was higher and the amplitude of slow waves lower in BC patients compared to HC. However, no significant association was observed between polysomnography parameters and PM scores in the whole sample of participants. Conclusion: Although subtle changes in brain oscillations involved in sleep-dependent memory consolidation were observed, these changes did not significantly impair overnight PM consolidation in BC patients. Nevertheless, poorer PM performance was associated with greater sleep complaints which in turn were related to poorer quality of life. Overall, these data suggest that sleep-dependent PM consolidation mechanisms are not altered in early stages BC patients not treated with chemotherapy. Further investigations are needed to understand the association between markers of quality of life and sleep-dependent memory consolidation.
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Importance: Increasing evidence suggests that sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) increases the risk of developing Alzheimer clinical syndrome. However, the brain mechanisms underlying the link between SDB and Alzheimer disease are still unclear. Objective: To determine which brain changes are associated with the presence of SDB in older individuals who are cognitively unimpaired, including changes in amyloid deposition, gray matter volume, perfusion, and glucose metabolism. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Age-Well randomized clinical trial of the Medit-Ageing European project, acquired between 2016 and 2018 at Cyceron Center in Caen, France. Community-dwelling older adults were assessed for eligibility and were enrolled in the Age-Well clinical trial if they did not meet medical or cognitive exclusion criteria and were willing to participate. Participants who completed a detailed neuropsychological assessment, polysomnography, a magnetic resonance imaging, and florbetapir and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans were included in the analyses. Main Outcomes and Measures: Based on an apnea-hypopnea index cutoff of 15 events per hour, participants were classified as having SDB or not. Voxelwise between-group comparisons were performed for each neuroimaging modality, and secondary analyses aimed at identifying which SDB parameter (sleep fragmentation, hypoxia severity, or frequency of respiratory disturbances) best explained the observed brain changes and assessing whether SDB severity and/or SDB-associated brain changes are associated with cognitive and behavioral changes. Results: Of 157 participants initially assessed, 137 were enrolled in the Age-Well clinical trial, and 127 were analyzed in this study. The mean (SD) age of the 127 participants was 69.1 (3.9) years, and 80 (63.0%) were women. Participants with SDB showed greater amyloid burden (t114 = 4.51; familywise error-corrected P = .04; Cohen d, 0.83), gray matter volume (t119 = 4.12; familywise error-corrected P = .04; Cohen d, 0.75), perfusion (t116 = 4.62; familywise error-corrected P = .001; Cohen d, 0.86), and metabolism (t79 = 4.63; familywise error-corrected P = .001; Cohen d, 1.04), overlapping mainly over the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. No association was found with cognition, self-reported cognitive and sleep difficulties, or excessive daytime sleepiness symptoms. Conclusions and Relevance: The SDB-associated brain changes in older adults who are cognitively unimpaired include greater amyloid deposition and neuronal activity in Alzheimer disease-sensitive brain regions, notably the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. These results support the need to screen and treat for SDB, especially in asymptomatic older populations, to reduce Alzheimer disease risk. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02977819.
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Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Encéfalo/patología , Síndromes de la Apnea del Sueño/complicaciones , Anciano , Proteínas Amiloidogénicas/metabolismo , Biomarcadores/análisis , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Sustancia Gris/patología , Humanos , Vida Independiente , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Tomografía de Emisión de PositronesRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Sleep disturbances are increasingly recognized as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. However, no study has assessed the relationships between objective sleep fragmentation (SF) and brain and cognitive integrity across different cognitive stages, from cognitively unimpaired elderly subjects to patients with subjective cognitive decline and/or mild cognitive impairment. METHODS: 30 cognitively unimpaired elderly participants and 36 patients with subjective cognitive decline and/or mild cognitive impairment underwent a neuropsychological evaluation, structural MRI, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, and 18F-florbetapir-PET scans, and an actigraphy recording over a minimum of six consecutive nights. Multiple regression and mediation analyses were performed between SF parameters, neuroimaging data, and cognitive scores. RESULTS: In cognitively unimpaired elderly participants, SF intensity mediated the association between frontohippocampal hypometabolism and lower executive functioning. Moreover, to a lower extent, increased SF variability was related to thalamic atrophy and ventromedial prefrontal amyloid burden. However, in patients with subjective cognitive decline and/or mild cognitive impairment, SF no longer contributed to the expression of cognitive deficits. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that SF may directly contribute to lower cognitive performance in cognitively unimpaired elderly subjects. Therefore, treating sleep disturbances before the onset of cognitive deficits may help to cope with brain alterations and maintain cognitive functioning.
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Prospective memory (PM) refers to our ability to perform actions at the appropriate moment, either when a predetermined event occurs (event-based, EB) or after a predetermined amount of time (time-based, TB). Sleep favors the consolidation of both EB and TB intentions, but whether this benefit is preserved during ageing is still subject to debate. PM was assessed in 28 young and 27 older healthy volunteers using a virtual environment. Participants had to learn and execute intentions after intervals filled with either daytime wakefulness or nighttime sleep. Intentions consisted of four TB, four EB with a strong link between the cue triggering retrieval and the action to be performed (EB-link) and four with no link (EB-nolink). PM was not affected by age, whatever the type of intention and the nature of the retention interval. While sleep reinforced all types of intentions in young participants, this benefit was only observed for TB and EB-link intentions in older adults. Sleep also reinforced the intrinsic PM components in both groups. Thus, when assessed using complex realistic situations, PM is not impaired in ageing. Results are discussed in the light of memory schema theory and the possible impact of cognitive reserve on sleep and memory.