A groundbreaking study led by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis offers a glimmer of hope in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease.
The study shows that sleep medication may have the potential to lower key Alzheimer’s proteins in humans, potentially slowing or even halting the progression of the disease.
The study involved 38 participants aged between 45 and 65 with no cognitive impairments.
Participants received varying doses of suvorexant, a sleep aid, and their cerebrospinal fluid was sampled over 36 hours to measure changes in Alzheimer-related proteins.
Amyloid and tau levels in the brain’s cerebrospinal fluid dropped significantly in those who received a high dose of suvorexant.
The Drug: Suvorexant
Suvorexant belongs to a category of insomnia medications called dual orexin receptor antagonists. These drugs work by blocking orexin, a molecule that promotes wakefulness, thereby helping people fall asleep.
This class of medications already has FDA approval, with more orexin inhibitors in the pipeline.
The Implications for Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is marked by an accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. Poor sleep has previously been linked to elevated levels of these proteins.
By showing that suvorexant can lower amyloid and tau levels, this study provides preliminary evidence that improved sleep might impact Alzheimer’s pathology.
“Hyperphosphorylated tau is associated with tangle formation, which is toxic to neurons.
If we can reduce tau phosphorylation, we could potentially halt the progression of Alzheimer’s,” said Brendan Lucey, the study’s senior author.
Cautions and Future Directions
It’s crucial to note that this study is a small, proof-of-concept investigation and not a recommendation for the use of sleeping aids in Alzheimer’s prevention.
Lucey emphasized that more research is needed to validate these findings, especially in older participants or those already showing signs of cognitive decline.
“Future studies will require months of medication and monitoring to confirm these results,” Lucey said. “For now, the best advice is still to aim for quality sleep and consult a sleep specialist for persistent sleep problems.”
Conclusion
While the study is preliminary and more research is needed, it adds a new dimension to our understanding of the complex relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s disease.
If these findings hold up in larger studies, they could pave the way for new therapeutic approaches that take advantage of the link between sleep and cognitive decline.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and coconut oil could help improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s.
The research findings can be found in Annals of Neurology.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
