Potential Brain Protection from common Insomnia Medication: Alzheimer's Study
Sleep Woe's Bane and Brain's Gain: Insights on Lemborexant and Its Impact on Alzheimer's Disease
You'd be surprised to know that a whopping 70 million individuals worldwide grapple with sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea. These nocturnal nightmares can significantly impact a person's cognitive abilities, mental health, and overall well-being. What's more alarming is that sleep disturbances can increase the risk of various health conditions, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurological disorders.
"Sleeping like a baby is crucial, particularly when you're not a baby anymore," laughs David M. Holtzman, MD, a renowned neurologist based at Washington University School of Medicine. "Poor sleep quality and sleep disorders often surface years before other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease become evident," he warns.
Research from Holtzman's lab, along with others, has revealed that disrupted sleep elevates levels of both amyloid-beta and tau — hallmark signs of Alzheimer's disease — within the brain. A new study, led by Holtzman, aims to shed light on this intriguing connection, centered around a medication called lemborexant.
Lemborexant: A Sleep Aid with Brain Boost
Lemborexant is a popular sleep disorder medication, sold under the brand name Dayvigo. This dual orexin receptor antagonist functions by blocking orexin — a protein responsible for keeping us awake and alert — thereby facilitating sleep onset and quality.
"Lemborexant is a game-changer when it comes to treating insomnia," explains Samira Parhizkar, PhD, an instructor at Washington University School of Medicine and the first author of this study. "By blocking orexin signaling, the medication allows sleep to occur swiftly and effortlessly, helping the brain and body get the rest they require."
To investigate lemborexant's potential neurological benefits, the research team focused on a mouse model predisposed to tau buildup in the brain. The findings were quite promising, with the treatment of lemborexant both preventing tau accumulation and reducing inflammatory brain damage that tau buildup usually causes in Alzheimer's disease.
"The accumulation of abnormal tau within the brain is closely associated with heightened inflammatory damage," Parhizkar elaborated. "Research from our lab and others has demonstrated that inflammation in the brain is a crucial factor contributing to the brain damage observed in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's."
Brain and Body Benefits
In addition to preventing tau buildup and reducing inflammation, the study also indicated that mice treated with the sleep aid experienced a 30-40% larger hippocampus volume compared to those not treated with the medication. The increased hippocampal volume suggests reduced brain damage and cellular loss in mice treated with lemborexant compared to those given a placebo.
These findings are consistent with previous research linking restful sleep with increased cognitive health. Gary Small, MD, a psychiatrist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, couldn't agree more.
"These findings from the Washington University team provide additional evidence to support the link between insomnia and cognitive impairment — specifically, accumulation of tau protein, particularly in brain regions controlling memory," said Small, who was not involved in the current research.
While the research is encouraging, caution must be exercised as findings in an animal model require further verification in clinical trials involving human participants. For the time being, however, restful sleep continues to prove vital in preserving cognitive health and preventing Alzheimer's disease.
- The prevalence of sleep disorders affects a staggering 70 million individuals worldwide, potentially impacting their cognitive abilities, mental health, and overall well-being.
- Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, can increase the risk of various health conditions, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurological disorders.
- A new study led by David M. Holtzman aims to investigate the connection between sleep disorders and Alzheimer's disease, focusing on a sleep aid medication called lemborexant.
- Lemborexant, sold under the brand name Dayvigo, functions by blocking orexin, a protein responsible for keeping individuals awake, thereby facilitating sleep onset and quality.
- In a mouse model predisposed to tau buildup in the brain, treatment with lemborexant prevented tau accumulation, reduced inflammatory brain damage, and increased hippocampal volume.
- These findings suggest that restful sleep, facilitated by medications like lemborexant, may help preserve cognitive health and potentially prevent Alzheimer's disease, although further clinical trials involving human participants are necessary for verification.
