WTC Workers: No Cognitive-Sleep Link
- A new study suggests that World Trade Center (WTC) rescue and recovery workers experiencing sleep disturbances may be at risk for early cognitive decline.The research, presented at SLEEP...
- Researchers, led by Anna Mullins, assistant professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, evaluated 223 individuals, primarily men (78.9%) with an average age of 59.7 years.
- The study aimed to describe cognitive impairment using various assessment methods and explore links between early cognitive deficits and sleep disturbances. The team analyzed data using sex,age,and education-adjusted...
Contrary to expectations, a groundbreaking new study reveals no direct link between insomnia and cognitive decline in world Trade Center (WTC) rescue workers. Researchers assessed cognitive function and sleep disturbances, including sleep apnea, in a detailed investigation presented at SLEEP 2025. Despite a high incidence of insomnia symptoms and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among participants, the study found no correlation with poorer memory performance or cognitive scores. The findings suggest a need for more comprehensive assessment models, factoring in demographic nuances. news Directory 3 provides crucial updates on this critical research.What are the next steps for understanding cognitive health in WTC responders? Discover what’s next …
WTC Rescue Workers: Sleep Apnea Linked to Cognitive Decline
Updated June 15, 2025
A new study suggests that World Trade Center (WTC) rescue and recovery workers experiencing sleep disturbances may be at risk for early cognitive decline.The research, presented at SLEEP 2025, examined the relationship between cognitive function and sleep issues such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in this population.
Researchers, led by Anna Mullins, assistant professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, evaluated 223 individuals, primarily men (78.9%) with an average age of 59.7 years. participants completed sleep and mood questionnaires, including the Insomnia Severity index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale, along with cognitive assessments like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and polysomnography.
The study aimed to describe cognitive impairment using various assessment methods and explore links between early cognitive deficits and sleep disturbances. The team analyzed data using sex,age,and education-adjusted MoCA norms,comparing raw scores with adjustments for education levels.
Of the participants, 196 showed no cognitive impairment, while 27 did. A subset of 78 individuals underwent more detailed neuropsychological testing (UDS-3), assessing memory, executive/visuospatial function, attention, and language.
The findings revealed that within the UDS-3 subset, 21% showed low average performance in memory, 17% in language, 14% in attention, and 3% in executive/visuospatial functions. Mild to moderate impairment was noted in 8% regarding attention.
Interestingly, while nearly half the participants reported insomnia symptoms and over half had OSA, no direct associations were found between these sleep issues and lower raw or adjusted MoCA or UDS-3 domain scores.
Notably, the study found that 50% of participants showed impairment based on raw MoCA scores, compared to only 12% when using SAE measurements. this highlights the importance of accounting for demographic factors in cognitive screening.
“Screening questionnaires for mild cognitive impairment don’t typically account well for varying levels of education or language,” Mullins said. “our analysis aimed to account for the heterogenous nature of this population’s preferred language, sex, age and education so as to not over-express cognitive impairment.”
“Our analysis… notably found that WTC responders with symptoms of insomnia performed better on tasks evaluating all types of memory,” Mullins told Healio.“This result was unexpected, as insomnia and sleep disruption is known to have a deleterious effect on cognitive functioning.”
What’s next
The researchers suggest that future assessments should incorporate a broader range of factors, including environmental exposures and social vulnerabilities, to more accurately identify cognitive impairment in this population. According to Mullins, AI models combining symptomatology with physiology and risk factors may offer a more precise way to assess cognitive health in WTC responders.