Potential Insomnia Therapy for Alzheimer's: A Possible Approach to Prevent Brain Damage
A Whopping 70 Million Individuals Globally Struggle with Sleep Disorders
Struggling with a good night's rest? You're not alone. Up to 70 million people worldwide grapple with various sleep disorders, including insomnia and sleep apnea, affecting their mental wellbeing and cognitive abilities.
Sleep disruptions can have far-reaching impacts on a person's health. Previous research has linked sleep disorders to a range of health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal issues, and even Alzheimer's disease.
According to David M. Holtzman, MD, of the Washington University School of Medicine, sleep disorders often show early signs years before other symptoms of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease become apparent. He emphasized that disrupted sleep elevates levels of both amyloid beta and tau, which are hallmark signs of Alzheimer's disease, further stressing the importance of quality sleep.
Recognizing the need to tackle this issue, Holtzman and his team delved into a novel approach to address sleep disorders: a medication called lemborexant.
A Commendable Concoction: Lemborexant
Lemborexant, marketed under the brand name Dayvigo, belongs to a class of sleep medications known as dual orexin receptor antagonists. These drugs work by inhibiting orexin, a protein in the brain that keeps people awake and alert, allowing for easier and more restorative sleep.
Following its potential benefits, researchers at Washington University focused on lemborexant and its effects on tau in the brain. They employed this sleep aid to treat a model of genetically-prone mice, revealing that the medication could prevent tau build-up and reduce inflammatory brain damage associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Samira Parhizkar, PhD, and first author of the study, explained, "By decreasing both the abnormal buildup of tau and inflammatory damage, lemborexant may be highly effective in safeguarding the brain from these sources of injury."
Hippocampus Hike: A Notable Side Effect
A fascinating finding of this research was an increase in hippocampus volume in mice treated with lemborexant. The larger hippocampal volume implied reduced brain damage and cellular loss in these mice compared to those not treated with the medication, underscoring lemborexant's potential for neuroprotection.
Linking the Dots: Consistent Research Efforts
The findings from this new study align with previous research connecting quality sleep to better cognitive health. Gary Small, MD, chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center, observed that "other work has shown that restful sleep reduces brain amyloid and inflammation, which may explain why sleep benefits cognition."
With nearly 40% of people in the U.S. complaining of insomnia, finding innovative treatments that reduce tau accumulation in the brain and promote restful sleep could be a double-edged sword in combating Alzheimer's disease and chronic insomnia.
Nonetheless, Small cautioned that, while the study offers promising insights, "findings in an animal model must move forward to clinical trials of human volunteers to determine the safety and effectiveness of this potential treatment."
- Struggles with sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, can impact more than just an individual's rest; they can also affect mental well-being and cognitive abilities.
- Sleep disorders have been linked to various health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal issues, and even Alzheimer's disease.
- Alzheimer's disease often shows initial signs years before other symptoms become apparent, and sleep disorders are a potential early indication.
- Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine are exploring a novel approach to address sleep disorders using a medication called lemborexant, a dual orexin receptor antagonist.
- Lemborexant, marketed as Dayvigo, works by inhibiting orexin, a protein in the brain that keeps people awake, promoting easier and more restorative sleep.
- Findings from a study on lemborexant in genetically-prone mice suggest that the medication could prevent tau build-up, reduce inflammatory brain damage associated with Alzheimer's disease, and potentially safeguard the brain from injury, due to its impact on both tau build-up and inflammatory damage.
