PhD student: Sam Vidil
Title: Importance of circadian rhythm for cognitive ageing
Supervisor: Séverine Sabia
Doctoral school: ED 393 Epidemiology and Biomedical Information Sciences, Université Paris Cité
Promotion: 2026
Funding : PhD scholarship from Université Paris Cité
Thesis abstract: Human body functions are regulated around a 24-hour clock throughout the day/night period. With age, this circadian rhythm is altered, and these disturbances are more frequent and severe in patients with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders, with evidence of these disturbances as early as during the preclinical phase. Using accelerometer data to objectively and comprehensively measure physical activity, sleep and the fragmentation of periods of rest and wakefulness, this project aims to identify circadian rhythm profiles and study their association with various aspects of cognitive ageing, including the cognitive decline, changes in blood biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease and the incidence of dementia.
