Potential Brain Damage Prevention Through Common Insomnia Medication (Alzheimer's)
In the global population, a whopping 70 million individuals may grapple with sleep disorders, leaving them vulnerable to a myriad of health issues, such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Sleep, a fundamental need for the body, plays a crucial role in maintaining our cognitive functions. Adequate shut-eye ensures better concentration and mental wellbeing. Sadly, sleep disorders escalate the risk of various health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal issues, and cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease.
David M. Holtzman, a distinguished neurologist, pointed out that disrupted sleep can lead to an increase in levels of beta-amyloid and tau proteins, which are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. In a recent study, his team found that lemborexant, a sleep disorder medication, not only improves sleep quality but also protects the brain from tau buildup, via a mouse model.
Lemborexant, commonly sold under the brand name Dayvigo, belongs to a class of sleep medications known as dual orexin receptor antagonists. These drugs block orexin, a protein in the brain that keeps us awake and alert. By inhibiting orexin signaling, the medication instigates sleep onset and makes it easier to slumber peacefully.
In the brain, tau acts as a 'track' that supports the structure of cells and facilitates the movement of nutrients and signals. In Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, abnormal tau protein loses its shape and integrity, leading to cell dysfunction, tau tangles, and subsequent nerve cell death. This progressive buildup of tau tangles triggers memory loss, confusion, and other cognitive symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease.
By treating a model of genetically predisposed mice with lemborexant, the researchers found that the medication helped prevent tau buildup in the brain while reducing inflammatory brain damage. This finding indicates that lemborexant may protect the brain from the sources of injury stemming from tau buildup and inflammation. Furthermore, the treated mice exhibited a 30-40% larger hippocampus volume compared to those not treated with the medication, signifying reduced brain damage and cell loss.
Gary Small, a prominent psychiatrist, supported these findings, remarking that they align with previous studies linking restful sleep with better cognitive health. Small's team demonstrated that sleep quality is related to both objective measures of sustained attention and self-awareness of memory decline, implying that sleep interventions could help combat memory complaints. Moreover, restful sleep has been shown to reduce brain amyloid and inflammation, which may explain why it strengthens cognition.
However, as exciting as these findings are, Small emphasized the importance of moving forward with clinical trials involving human volunteers to gauge the safety and efficacy of lemborexant as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease and chronic insomnia.
- Sleep disorders, affecting around 70 million individuals worldwide, are linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders due to disrupted sleep leading to increased levels of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the brain.
- Researchers have found that a sleep disorder medication called lemborexant, marketed as Dayvigo, not only improves sleep quality but also protects the brain from tau buildup in a mouse model, potentially making it a promising therapy for Alzheimer's disease.
- By treating a model of genetically predisposed mice with lemborexant, researchers found that the medication helped prevent tau buildup in the brain, reduced inflammatory brain damage, increased hippocampus volume, and allowed for better cognitive health.
- Renowned psychiatrist Gary Small backed these findings, suggesting that sleep interventions like lemborexant could help combat memory complaints associated with Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders.
- To fully understand the safety and effectiveness of lemborexant as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease and chronic insomnia, human clinical trials involving volunteer participants are crucial, according to Small.
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