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thejournalofphysiology-2026-scherrer-improvedsubjectivesleepqualityinolderadultsbyenhancingthegabaergic
Journal article

Improved subjective sleep quality in older adults by enhancing the GABAergic system in the sensorimotor cortex

DOKPE

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  • 2026
Published in:
  • The Journal of Physiology. - Wiley. - 2026
GABAergic inhibition
balance
exercise intervention
functional connectivity
healthy ageing
sleep
English Sleep disturbances affect nearly half of all adults aged 60 and above, reducing quality of life and contributing to various health issues. While pharmacological treatments enhancing GABAergic activity can improve sleep, they often have adverse side effects. Given that balance training has been shown to enhance GABAergic inhibition in the sensorimotor cortex, we hypothesized that it could serve as a non-pharmacological intervention to improve sleep quality in older adults. In this study, 36 adults aged 64 to 81 years either completed a three-month balance training programme or served as controls. Before and after the three months, all participants underwent behavioural and neurophysiological measurements. Following a significant group × time interaction with repeated-measures ANOVA, paired t tests revealed that the balance group experienced improved sleep quality assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire. However, objective sleep parameters assessed with polysomnography remained unchanged. Neuroimaging revealed increased GABA levels in the sensorimotor cortex (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and enhanced sensorimotor functional connectivity (functional magnetic resonance imaging). Although intracortical inhibition (transcranial magnetic stimulation) during balancing and sleep did not show significant group × time interactions, individuals with greater increases in inhibition during sleep reported larger improvements in sleep quality. Regression analyses indicated that greater increases in functional connectivity were associated with larger improvements in subjective sleep quality, whereas greater increases in GABA levels were associated with smaller improvements. These findings suggest that balance training improves subjective sleep quality in older adults, possibly by restoring the GABAergic system in the sensorimotor cortex, offering an accessible and non-pharmacological intervention for age-related sleep disturbances.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Section de médecine
Language
  • English
Classification
Pathology, clinical medicine
Other electronic version

Version en ligne

License
CC BY
Open access status
hybrid
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/336247
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