CINXE.COM
Poor sleep in midlife is linked to faster brain atrophy | UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
<!doctype html> <!--[if IE 7]> <html class="no-js ie7 oldie" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <![endif]--> <!--[if IEMobile 7]> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" class="no-js iem7"> <![endif]--> <!--[if (gt IEMobile 7)|!(IEMobile)]> <html class="no-js" lang="en"> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt IE 7]> <html class="no-js ie6 oldie" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <![endif]--> <!--[if (IE 7)&!(IEMobile)]> <html class="no-js ie7 oldie" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <![endif]--> <!--[if (IE 8)&!(IEMobile)]> <html class="no-js oldie" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <![endif]--> <!--[if gt IE 8]> <html class="no-js" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <![endif]--> <!--[if (gte IE 9)|(gt IEMobile 7)]><html class="no-js" xmlns:og="http://ogp.me/ns#" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/" xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#" xmlns:sioc="http://rdfs.org/sioc/ns#" xmlns:sioct="http://rdfs.org/sioc/types#" xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#"><![endif]--> <!--[if gte IE 6]> <script type = "text/javascript"> var ieClass=""; if(document.documentMode==7) { ieClass="ie7"; } else if(document.documentMode==8) { ieClass="ie8"; } else if(document.documentMode==9) { ieClass="ie9"; } document.documentElement.className += " "; document.documentElement.className += ieClass; </script> <![endif]--> <!--><html class="no-js" lang="en" dir="ltr"><!--<![endif]--> <head> <title>Poor sleep in midlife is linked to faster brain atrophy | UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/themes/custom/ucsf_psych/favicon.ico" /> <meta name="description" content="UCSF-led study finds that insomnia, but not lack of sleep, may hasten brain shrinkage." /> <meta name="generator" content="Drupal 7 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/news/poor-sleep-midlife-linked-faster-brain-atrophy" /> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/node/6046" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences" /> <meta property="og:type" content="website" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://psych.ucsf.edu/news/poor-sleep-midlife-linked-faster-brain-atrophy" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Poor sleep in midlife is linked to faster brain atrophy" /> <meta property="og:description" content="UCSF-led study finds that insomnia, but not lack of sleep, may hasten brain shrinkage." /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2024-11-01T08:21:21-07:00" /> <meta property="og:image:url" content="https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/newlogo2020opengraph.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:alt" content="UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="630" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2024-10-23T00:00:00-07:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2024-11-01T08:21:21-07:00" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1.0"> <meta http-equiv="cleartype" content="on"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=8,chrome=1"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/css/css_xE-rWrJf-fncB6ztZfd2huxqgxu4WO-qwma6Xer30m4.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/css/css_vZ_wrMQ9Og-YPPxa1q4us3N7DsZMJa-14jShHgRoRNo.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/css/css_2YEq250CClI8rWgtofrBFZsWMB-2LfsFzTSZ669dr5M.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/css/css_CpEfsYYcC2GiDb2flvXhyq1sgz1O0BvE9tteosPLZxo.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="//maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.3.0/css/font-awesome.min.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="//use.fontawesome.com/releases/v5.0.2/css/all.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="//fast.fonts.net/cssapi/1de5e06a-22e2-404a-be10-e17b99f4292d.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/css/css_q3NwHDhH4kG9CtHhUj7d_BTlPxhhnrxPYyggSwbK7Sk.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/css/css_dIHhwgV0q3iJ0qG0tn4BmeLpdCvw6yKsRpjwhcRpmF8.css" media="print" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/css/css_eUZskBRFOhnV3HL10It_V1Ke5_8QkdMOsivT310d5EE.css" /> <!--[if lt IE 9]> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/themes/mothership/mothership/js/respond.min.js"></script> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt IE 9]> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/themes/mothership/mothership/js/html5.js"></script> <![endif]--> </head> <body class="not-front one-sidebar sidebar-second node-type-news path-news-poor-sleep-midlife-linked-faster-brain-atrophy pathone-news ucsf-base" id="hold" > <!--[if lt IE 7]><p class="chromeframe">You are using an <strong>outdated</strong> browser. Please <a href="http://browsehappy.com/">upgrade your browser</a> or <a href="http://www.google.com/chromeframe/?redirect=true">activate Google Chrome Frame</a> to improve your experience.</p><![endif]--> <a href="#main-content" class="element-invisible element-focusable">Skip to main content </a> <noscript aria-hidden="true"><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NZ969TL" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <div class="top-region-container clearfix"> <div class="top-header-region row "> <nav class="block block-menu " role="navigation"> <ul class="menu"><li><a href="http://www.ucsf.edu">University of California, San Francisco</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ucsf.edu/about_ucsf/">About UCSF</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ucsf.edu/ucsf/search">Search UCSF</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ucsfhealth.org/">UCSF Health</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="header-container "> <header role="banner" class="row"> <div class="inner-wrapper"> <div class="siteinfo"> <figure> <a href="/" title="Home" rel="home"> <img src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/Weill%20Department%20of%20Psychiatry%20and%20Behavioral%20Sciences_0.png" alt="Home" /> </a> </figure> </div> <a href="#" id="mobile-link" style="display: none"><span></span></a> <div class="header-region"> <div class="block block-search " role="search"> <form action="/news/poor-sleep-midlife-linked-faster-brain-atrophy" method="post" id="search-block-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <h2 class="element-invisible">Search form</h2> <div class="form-type-textfield form-item-search-block-form"> <label class="element-invisible" for="edit-search-block-form--2">Search</label> <input title="Enter the terms you wish to search for." placeholder="Search" type="text" id="edit-search-block-form--2" name="search_block_form" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" /> </div> <div class="form-actions form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"><input type="submit" id="edit-submit" name="op" value="Search" /></div><input type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-o5v5ch0rsKQSLQ1T1ZTBN9GdlyjRmhU2VHYar8df4kY" /> <input type="hidden" name="form_id" value="search_block_form" /> </form> </div> <nav class="block block-menu-block " role="navigation"> <ul class="menu"><li class="expanded menu-mlid-3406"><a href="/clinical">Patient Care</a><ul class="menu"><li class="has-children menu-mlid-3411"><a href="/lpph">UCSF Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-116781"><a href="/pritzker">UCSF Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-100681"><a href="/bch">UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-3426"><a href="/zsfg">Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3421"><a href="/sfvahcs">San Francisco VA Health Care System</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-105006"><a href="/consultation-liaison">Consultation-Liaison Service</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3416"><a href="/topics">Mental Health Topics and Online Resources</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-116861"><a href="https://www.ucsfhealth.org/billing-and-insurance/help-paying-your-bill">Help Paying Your Bill</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="expanded menu-mlid-3481"><a href="/research">Research</a><ul class="menu"><li class="menu-mlid-112301"><a href="https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/research#leadership">Research Leadership</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-112296"><a href="/research/administration">Research Administration Support</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3526"><a href="/research/faculty">Research Faculty</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3531"><a href="/research/programs">Research Programs</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3561"><a href="/research/publications">Recent Research Publications</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-3541"><a href="/research/fellowships">Research Fellowships</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3536"><a href="/research/studies">Find a Clinical Trial</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="expanded menu-mlid-3486"><a href="/education">Education</a><ul class="menu"><li class="menu-mlid-3491"><a href="/medical-student-education">Medical Student Education</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-3511"><a href="/clinical-fellowships-and-training-programs">Clinical Fellowships and Training Programs</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-3516"><a href="/research/fellowships">Research Fellowships and Training Programs</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3496"><a href="/continuing-education">Continuing Education</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-4811"><a href="https://star.ucsf.edu/training">Autism Training Workshops</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3501"><a href="/ucsf-fresno">UCSF Fresno</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="expanded menu-mlid-3386"><a href="/diversity">Diversity</a><ul class="menu"><li class="menu-mlid-3976"><a href="/diversity/recruitment">Recruitment and Retention Subcommittee</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3981"><a href="/diversity/education">Education Subcommittee</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3986"><a href="/diversity/research">Research Subcommittee</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3991"><a href="/diversity/communication">Communication Subcommittee</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-111176"><a href="/diversity/equity">Health Equity Subcommittee</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-111181"><a href="/diversity/council">Advisory Council</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-115921"><a href="/diversity/accomplishments">Recent Diversity Accomplishments</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="expanded menu-mlid-3366"><a href="/about">About Us</a><ul class="menu"><li class="menu-mlid-3401"><a href="/welcome">Welcome from the Chair</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-55776"><a href="/about">About UCSF Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3381"><a href="/leadership">Our Leadership</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3396"><a href="/locations">Our Locations</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-3371"><a href="/history">Our History</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3546"><a href="/faculty">Faculty Members</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-116736"><a href="/faculty/endowed">Endowed Chairs and Professorships</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3551"><a href="/vcp">Volunteer Clinical Professors</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3556"><a href="https://directory.ucsf.edu/">Search for a Staff Member</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-93601"><a href="/engagement">Community Engagement Initiatives</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-73996"><a href="/climate">Department Climate Committee</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-3391"><a href="/careers">Career Opportunities</a></li> <li class="has-children menu-mlid-3276"><a href="/support" title="Support Us">Support Us</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-115376"><a href="/email">Subscribe to Our Email Newsletters</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="expanded menu-mlid-2251"><a href="/news">News & Events</a><ul class="menu"><li class="menu-mlid-3296"><a href="/news">Department News</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3966"><a href="http://psych.ucsf.edu/events" target="_blank">Upcoming Events</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3281"><a href="/grandrounds">Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-73266"><a href="/capbsgrandrounds">Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-87546"><a href="/barondes">Samuel Barondes Lectureship in Biological Psychiatry</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-75481"><a href="/lee">Evelyn Lee Visiting Scholar Lectureship in Cultural Competence and Diversity</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-91046"><a href="/ostwald">Ostwald Lecture Series</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-4276"><a href="/wallerstein">Robert S. Wallerstein Visiting Lectureship in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-49911"><a href="/royer">J. Elliot Royer Award</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-49216"><a href="/sarlo">George Sarlo Prize</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-3376"><a href="/connect">Connect With Us</a></li> <li class="menu-mlid-116866"><a href="/graduation">2024 Graduation Commencement</a></li> </ul></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </header> </div> <div class="breadcrumb-area"><h2 class="element-invisible">You are here</h2><div class="breadcrumb"><a href="/">Home</a><span class="separator"></span>Poor sleep in midlife is linked to faster brain atrophy</div></div> <div class="page-container"> <div class="page row clearfix"> <div class="inner-wrapper"> <div role="main" id="main-content" class="col"> <div class="block block-views "> <div class="view-id-slider view-display-id-slider_block view-dom-id-cf3df85bf6abf388dfa7c0061a1edf59"> <div class="skin-default"> <div id="flexslider_views_slideshow_main_slider-slider_block_1" class="flexslider_views_slideshow_main views_slideshow_main"><div class="flex-nav-container"> <div class="flexslider"> <ul id="flexslider_views_slideshow_slider-slider_block_1" class="flexslider-views-slideshow-main-frame slides"> <li class="flexslider-views-slideshow-main-frame-row flexslider_views_slideshow_slide views-row-1 views-row-odd"> </li> </ul> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> <h1>Poor sleep in midlife is linked to faster brain atrophy</h1> <!-- node.tpl.php --> <article class="node node-news " about="/news/poor-sleep-midlife-linked-faster-brain-atrophy" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document" role="article"> <span property="dc:title" content="Poor sleep in midlife is linked to faster brain atrophy" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span><span property="sioc:num_replies" content="0" datatype="xsd:integer" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span> <footer class="article-meta"> <span class="date"><time><span property="dc:date dc:created" content="2024-10-23T00:00:00-07:00" datatype="xsd:dateTime">October 23, 2024 - 12:00am</span></time></span> </footer> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-type-text-with-summary field-name-body"> <p><em><strong>By <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/bio/suzanne-leigh">Suzanne Leigh</a></strong></em></p> <p></p><div class="media media-element-container media-media-full _none"><picture class="media-element file-media-full"> <!--[if IE 9]><video style="display: none;"><![endif]--> <source srcset="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/starter_kit_full/public/brain-mri.jpg?itok=a5moacfg&timestamp=1730318554 1x" media="(min-width: 536px)"></source> <source srcset="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/starter_kit_half/public/brain-mri.jpg?itok=qIqRZnqQ&timestamp=1730318554 1x" media="(min-width: 380px)"></source> <source srcset="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/starter_kit_third/public/brain-mri.jpg?itok=InF2FsE7&timestamp=1730318554 1x" media="(min-width: 277px)"></source> <source srcset="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/starter_kit_quarter/public/brain-mri.jpg?itok=JzEd1GjE&timestamp=1730318554 1x" media="(min-width: 187px)"></source> <source srcset="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/starter_kit_sixth/public/brain-mri.jpg?itok=h-vLWX4p&timestamp=1730318554 1x" media="(min-width: 0px)"></source> <!--[if IE 9]></video><![endif]--> <img class="media-element file-media-full" src="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/starter_kit_full/public/brain-mri.jpg?itok=a5moacfg&timestamp=1730318554" alt="" title="" /> </picture></div><br /> <span>For adults in midlife, difficulty getting to sleep and waking up too early may accelerate brain atrophy that is associated with dementia.</span> <p>The brain naturally begins to atrophy beginning in one’s 30s and 40s. But this can become much more pronounced with dementia and disorders like traumatic brain injury, stroke and, in some cases, multiple sclerosis.</p> <p>To estimate the effects of sleep quality on the brain, the researchers surveyed approximately 600 adults on how well they slept. The participants were asked the same questions five years later and underwent brain scans 10 years after this.</p> <p>The researchers used machine learning, leveraging data from the scans, to estimate the brain age of each participant based on the actual degree of brain shrinkage. They found that even after adjusting for age, sex, education, health and lifestyle factors, the brains of those participants who slept poorly were more atrophied than those who slept well.</p> <p>Compared to the 70% of the sample who reported having little trouble sleeping, those with moderate difficulty (22%) had brains that were 1.6 years older, while those with the most difficulty (8%) had brains that were 2.6 years older.</p> <p>The study publishes in <em><a href="https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209988" target="_blank">Neurology</a></em> on Oct. 23.</p> <p>“While we can’t say that poor sleep causes dementia, earlier research has established an association,” said first author <a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/clemence.cavailles" target="_blank">Clémence Cavaillès, PhD</a>, of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “Even if the cause of dementia is unrelated to sleep, it’s possible that poor sleep may advance or exacerbate cognitive symptoms.”</p> <p>The participants, who were 40 years old on average when they enrolled, were part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, which investigates the factors that influence cardiovascular disease, as well as how they may relate to dementia. They were asked about short sleep duration, poor quality of sleep, difficulty getting to sleep, difficulty staying asleep, early morning awakening and daytime sleepiness.</p> <h2>Lack of sleep not a factor … or is it?</h2> <p>Surprisingly, lack of sleep was not one of the characteristics relating to brain aging. “Sleep problems frequently emerge in midlife,” said Cavaillès. “They’re likely due to work stress, family caregiving and menopause,” she said. “Although the study found inadequate sleep duration was not an issue in brain atrophy in this study, we cannot say there is no association,” she said, noting that a previous CARDIA study showed that shorter sleep was associated with worse white matter integrity, indicating lower cognitive functioning.</p> <p>Poor sleep that persisted over five years, especially when it related to difficulty getting to sleep and early morning awakening, was found to be highly relevant to brain aging.</p> <p>“The study shows that poor sleep could be a target for early interventions to prevent possible cognitive decline,” said senior author <a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/kristine.yaffe" target="_blank">Kristine Yaffe, MD</a>, of the UCSF departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurology, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics.</p> <p>“Public health initiatives could include emphasizing sleep quality over quantity in midlife – and recognizing the long-term impact of poor sleep quality on the brain,” added Yaffe, who is a member of the first team of experts to determine that 30% of dementia risk is preventable. “Future research should investigate the life-course effect of sleep on brain health in young populations.”</p> <p><strong>Co-authors:</strong> <a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/christina.dintica" target="_blank">Cristina Dintica, PhD</a>, and <a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/yue.leng" target="_blank">Yue Leng, PhD</a>, of UCSF; Mercedes R. Carnethon, PhD, of Northwestern University; and Mohamad Habes, PhD, of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders and the University of Texas Health Science Center.</p> <p><strong>Funding:</strong> The CARDIA study is conducted and supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (75N92023D00002 & 75N92023D00005), Northwestern University (75N92023D00004), University of Minnesota (75N92023D00006) and Kaiser Foundation Research Institute (75N92023D00003). Also supported in part by (NIA) R35AG071916 and (NIA) R01AG063887. The authors report no relevant disclosures.</p> <h2>Read the study</h2> <ul> <li><em><strong>Neurology: </strong></em><strong><a href="https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209988" target="_blank">Association of Self-Reported Sleep Characteristics With Neuroimaging Markers of Brain Aging Years Later in Middle-Aged Adults</a></strong><br /> </li> </ul> <hr /> <h2>About UCSF Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences</h2> <p>The <a href="/">UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences</a> and the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute are among the nation's foremost resources in the fields of child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric mental health. Together they constitute one of the largest departments in the UCSF School of Medicine and the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, with a focus on providing unparalleled patient care, conducting impactful research, training the next generation of behavioral health leaders, and advancing diversity, health equity, and community across the field.</p> <p>UCSF Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences conducts its clinical, educational, and research efforts at a variety of locations in Northern California, including the <a href="/pritzker">UCSF Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building</a>; <a href="/lpph">UCSF Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital</a>; <a href="https://www.ucsfhealth.org/">UCSF Health medical centers and community hospitals</a> across San Francisco; <a href="https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/">UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals</a> in San Francisco and Oakland; <a href="https://www.zuckerbergsanfranciscogeneral.org/">Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center</a>; the <a href="https://www.va.gov/san-francisco-health-care/">San Francisco VA Health Care System</a>; <a href="https://fresno.ucsf.edu/psychiatry">UCSF Fresno</a>; and numerous community-based sites around the San Francisco Bay Area.</p> <h2>About the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences</h2> <p>The <a href="http://weill.ucsf.edu/">UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences</a>, established by the extraordinary generosity of Joan and Sanford I. "Sandy" Weill, brings together world-class researchers with top-ranked physicians to solve some of the most complex challenges in the human brain.</p> <p>The UCSF Weill Institute leverages UCSF’s unrivaled bench-to-bedside excellence in the neurosciences. It unites three UCSF departments—Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurology, and Neurological Surgery—that are highly esteemed for both patient care and research, as well as the Neuroscience Graduate Program, a cross-disciplinary alliance of nearly 100 UCSF faculty members from 15 basic-science departments, as well as the UCSF Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, a multidisciplinary research center focused on finding effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders.</p> <h2>About UCSF</h2> <p>The <a href="http://www.ucsf.edu/">University of California, San Francisco</a> (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. <a href="https://www.ucsfhealth.org/">UCSF Health</a>, which serves as UCSF’s primary academic medical center, includes <a href="https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ca/ucsf-medical-center-6930043">top-ranked specialty hospitals</a> and other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area.</p> </div> </div> </article> </div><!--/main--> <div class="sidebar-second col"> <div class="block block-views latest-news-block "> <h2 class="title">Latest News</h2> <div class="view-id-news view-display-id-news_block view-dom-id-e3b65d4badd8a1d191badad942c6e4ae"> <div class="views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-field-image"> <div class="field-content"><a href="/news/eight-department-members-receive-teach-ucsf-certifications"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/ucsf_square_thumbnail/public/field/image/news/group.png?itok=eUp6t2T2" alt="7 of the 8 certificate recipients" /></a></div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/eight-department-members-receive-teach-ucsf-certifications">Eight department members receive Teach for UCSF certifications</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-field-image"> <div class="field-content"><a href="/news/elkin-honored-lifetime-achievement-award-professionalism-education"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/ucsf_square_thumbnail/public/field/image/news/DavidElkinHeadshot_0.jpg?itok=q_adRTso" alt="Elkin" /></a></div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/elkin-honored-lifetime-achievement-award-professionalism-education">Elkin honored with lifetime achievement award for professionalism in education</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-field-image"> <div class="field-content"><a href="/news/tsoh-receives-urm-research-mentoring-award"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/ucsf_square_thumbnail/public/field/image/news/tsoh_5x7.jpg?itok=MbLrJI1F" alt="Tsoh" /></a></div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/tsoh-receives-urm-research-mentoring-award">Tsoh receives URM Research Mentoring Award</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-field-image"> <div class="field-content"><a href="/news/poor-sleep-midlife-linked-faster-brain-atrophy" class="active"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/ucsf_square_thumbnail/public/field/image/news/brain-mri.jpg?itok=DYRHi8oh" alt="Photo of brain MRI" /></a></div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/poor-sleep-midlife-linked-faster-brain-atrophy" class="active">Poor sleep in midlife is linked to faster brain atrophy</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-field-image"> <div class="field-content"><a href="/news/duong-named-vice-chair-medical-education"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/styles/ucsf_square_thumbnail/public/field/image/news/duongled.jpg?itok=A0fHI6FS" alt="Duong" /></a></div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/duong-named-vice-chair-medical-education">Duong named Vice Chair for Medical Education</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="view-footer"> <em><a href="/news">Read more >></a></em> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block block-block "> <!-- Begin Constant Contact Active Forms --><script> <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- var _ctct_m = "d8bea195181ab07ae541f3a59fffbdcd"; //--><!]]> </script><script id="signupScript" src="//static.ctctcdn.com/js/signup-form-widget/current/signup-form-widget.min.js" async="" defer="defer"></script><!-- End Constant Contact Active Forms --> </div> </div> </div> </div><!--/page--> </div> <div class="footer-container"> <footer role="contentinfo" class="row"> <div class="footer-top"> <div class="block block-ucsftemplate-tweaks footer-contact-us "> <h2 class="title">UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences</h2> <div class="footer-contact"><div class="footer-contact-address">675 18th St.<br/>San Francisco, CA 94143</div></div> </div> <div class="block block-ucsftemplate-tweaks footer-socialmedias "> <h2 class="title">Connect with us</h2> <div class="footer-socialmedias"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/ucsfpsychiatry" class="footer-twitter" target="_blank">Twitter</a><a href="http://www.facebook.com/UCSFPsychiatry" class="footer-facebook" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="footer"> <nav class="block block-menu " role="navigation"> <ul class="menu"><li><a href="https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/contact">Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ucsfhealth.org/billing-and-insurance/help-paying-your-bill">Help Paying Your Bill</a></li> <li><a href="https://websites.ucsf.edu/digital-accessibility">Accessibility</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/website-privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li><a href="https://websites.ucsf.edu/website-terms-use">Terms of Use</a></li> <li><a href="https://websites.ucsf.edu/azlist">A-Z Website List</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ucsf.edu">UCSF Main Site</a></li> <li><a href="http://psychintranet.ucsf.edu">DPBS Intranet</a></li> </ul> </nav> <div class="block block-ucsftemplate-tweaks footer-copyright "> © 2024 The Regents of the University of California </div> </div> </footer> </div> <script defer="defer" src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/google_tag/ga4/google_tag.script.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.12.4/jquery.min.js"></script> <script>window.jQuery || document.write("<script src='/sites/all/modules/contrib/jquery_update/replace/jquery/1.12/jquery.min.js'>\x3C/script>")</script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/misc/jquery-extend-3.4.0.js?v=1.12.4"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/misc/jquery-html-prefilter-3.5.0-backport.js?v=1.12.4"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/misc/jquery.once.js?v=1.2"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/misc/drupal.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/modules/contrib/jquery_update/js/jquery_browser.js?v=0.0.1"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/modules/contrib/views_slideshow/js/views_slideshow.js?v=1.0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/misc/form-single-submit.js?v=7.101"></script> <script>document.createElement( "picture" );</script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/modules/custom/ucsf_b1gfoot_admin_menu/js/ucsf_b1gfoot_admin_menu.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/libraries/flexslider-v1/jquery.flexslider-min.v1.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/modules/patched/flexslider_views_slideshow/js/flexslider_views_slideshow.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/modules/contrib/google_analytics/googleanalytics.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-6MYBMCRH8Y"></script> <script>window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments)};gtag("js", new Date());gtag("set", "developer_id.dMDhkMT", true);gtag("config", "G-6MYBMCRH8Y", {"groups":"default","anonymize_ip":true,"allow_ad_personalization_signals":false});gtag("config", "UA-635759-1", {"groups":"default","anonymize_ip":true,"allow_ad_personalization_signals":false});</script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/themes/mothership/mothership/js/contextual.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/themes/custom/ucsf_psych/js/jquery.sortElements.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/themes/custom/ucsf_psych/js/script.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/themes/custom/ucsf_psych/js/vendor/modernizr-2.6.2-respond-1.1.0.min.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/themes/custom/ucsf_psych/js/anchorfix.js?sn5vi0"></script> <script>jQuery.extend(Drupal.settings, {"basePath":"\/","pathPrefix":"","setHasJsCookie":0,"ajaxPageState":{"theme":"ucsf_psych","theme_token":"VuddwSkN36tl2T2KBXVartEvRYoGXwc5J-unCrBLJ0w","js":{"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/picture\/picturefill2\/picturefill.min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/picture\/picture.min.js":1,"https:\/\/psych.ucsf.edu\/sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/files\/google_tag\/ga4\/google_tag.script.js":1,"\/\/ajax.googleapis.com\/ajax\/libs\/jquery\/1.12.4\/jquery.min.js":1,"0":1,"misc\/jquery-extend-3.4.0.js":1,"misc\/jquery-html-prefilter-3.5.0-backport.js":1,"misc\/jquery.once.js":1,"misc\/drupal.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/jquery_update\/js\/jquery_browser.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/views_slideshow\/js\/views_slideshow.js":1,"misc\/form-single-submit.js":1,"1":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/modules\/custom\/ucsf_b1gfoot_admin_menu\/js\/ucsf_b1gfoot_admin_menu.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/flexslider\/jquery.flexslider-min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/patched\/flexslider_views_slideshow\/js\/flexslider_views_slideshow.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/google_analytics\/googleanalytics.js":1,"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/gtag\/js?id=G-6MYBMCRH8Y":1,"2":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/mothership\/mothership\/js\/contextual.js":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/themes\/custom\/ucsf_psych\/js\/jquery.sortElements.js":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/themes\/custom\/ucsf_psych\/js\/script.js":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/themes\/custom\/ucsf_psych\/js\/vendor\/modernizr-2.6.2-respond-1.1.0.min.js":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/themes\/custom\/ucsf_psych\/js\/anchorfix.js":1},"css":{"modules\/system\/system.base.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.menus.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.messages.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/views_slideshow\/views_slideshow.css":1,"modules\/aggregator\/aggregator.css":1,"modules\/comment\/comment.css":1,"modules\/field\/theme\/field.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/custom\/font_websymbols\/web-symbols.css":1,"modules\/node\/node.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/picture\/picture_wysiwyg.css":1,"modules\/search\/search.css":1,"modules\/user\/user.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/views\/css\/views.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/ctools\/css\/ctools.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/panels\/css\/panels.css":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/modules\/custom\/ucsf_b1gfoot_admin_menu\/css\/ucsf_b1gfoot_admin_menu.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/flexslider\/assets\/css\/flexslider_img.css":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/flexslider\/flexslider.css":1,"\/\/maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com\/font-awesome\/4.3.0\/css\/font-awesome.min.css":1,"\/\/use.fontawesome.com\/releases\/v5.0.2\/css\/all.css":1,"\/\/fast.fonts.net\/cssapi\/1de5e06a-22e2-404a-be10-e17b99f4292d.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/mothership\/mothership\/css\/reset.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/mothership\/mothership\/css\/reset-html5.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/mothership\/mothership\/css\/mothership-default.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/custom\/ucsf_webedit\/ucsf_webedit.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/custom\/ucsf_images\/ucsf-images-universal.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/mothership\/mothership\/css\/mothership.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/custom\/ucsf_starterkit_images\/ucsf-starterkit-images-responsive.css":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/themes\/custom\/ucsf_psych\/css\/screen.css":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/themes\/custom\/ucsf_psych\/customcss\/psychscreen.css":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/themes\/custom\/ucsf_psych\/css\/print.css":1,"sites\/psych.ucsf.edu\/themes\/custom\/ucsf_psych\/css\/colors\/navy.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_11.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_36.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_41.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_46.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_56.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_61.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_66.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_151.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_156.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_191.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_216.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_221.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_226.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_231.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_236.css":1}},"viewsSlideshow":{"slider-slider_block_1":{"methods":{"goToSlide":["viewsSlideshowPager","viewsSlideshowSlideCounter"],"nextSlide":["viewsSlideshowPager","viewsSlideshowSlideCounter","flexsliderViewsSlideshow"],"pause":["viewsSlideshowControls","flexsliderViewsSlideshow"],"play":["viewsSlideshowControls","flexsliderViewsSlideshow"],"previousSlide":["viewsSlideshowPager","viewsSlideshowSlideCounter","flexsliderViewsSlideshow"],"transitionBegin":["viewsSlideshowPager","viewsSlideshowSlideCounter"],"transitionEnd":[]},"paused":0}},"flexslider_views_slideshow":{"#flexslider_views_slideshow_main_slider-slider_block_1":{"num_divs":1,"id_prefix":"#flexslider_views_slideshow_main_","vss_id":"slider-slider_block_1","animation":"fade","slideDirection":"horizontal","slideshow":true,"slideshowSpeed":6000,"animationLoop":true,"randomize":false,"slideToStart":0,"directionNav":false,"controlNav":false,"keyboardNav":1,"mousewheel":0,"prevText":"Previous","nextText":"Next","pausePlay":false,"pauseText":"Pause","playText":"Play","pauseOnAction":true,"manualControls":"","animationSpeed":600,"direction":"","keyboard":false,"startAt":0,"start":null,"before":null,"after":null,"end":null,"namespace":"flex-","selector":".slides \u003E li","easing":"swing","reverse":false,"smoothHeight":false,"initDelay":0,"useCSS":true,"touch":true,"video":false,"multipleKeyboard":false,"controlsContainer":".flex-control-nav-container","sync":"","asNavFor":"","itemWidth":0,"itemMargin":0,"minItems":0,"maxItems":0,"move":0,"thumbCaptions":false,"thumbCaptionsBoth":false,"pauseOnHover":false}},"googleanalytics":{"account":["G-6MYBMCRH8Y","UA-635759-1"],"trackOutbound":1,"trackMailto":1,"trackDownload":1,"trackDownloadExtensions":"7z|aac|arc|arj|asf|asx|avi|bin|csv|doc(x|m)?|dot(x|m)?|exe|flv|gif|gz|gzip|hqx|jar|jpe?g|js|mp(2|3|4|e?g)|mov(ie)?|msi|msp|pdf|phps|png|ppt(x|m)?|pot(x|m)?|pps(x|m)?|ppam|sld(x|m)?|thmx|qtm?|ra(m|r)?|sea|sit|tar|tgz|torrent|txt|wav|wma|wmv|wpd|xls(x|m|b)?|xlt(x|m)|xlam|xml|z|zip"},"urlIsAjaxTrusted":{"\/news\/poor-sleep-midlife-linked-faster-brain-atrophy":true}});</script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/modules/contrib/picture/picturefill2/picturefill.min.js?v=2.3.1"></script> <script src="https://psych.ucsf.edu/sites/all/modules/contrib/picture/picture.min.js?v=7.101"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> /*<![CDATA[*/ (function() { var sz = document.createElement('script'); sz.type = 'text/javascript'; sz.async = true; sz.src = '//siteimproveanalytics.com/js/siteanalyze_8343.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(sz, s); })(); /*]]>*/ </script> </body> </html>