Potential Brain Protection Offered by Common Insomnia Medication
Sleeping Smarter, Not Harder:
A whopping 70 million people worldwide cope with sleep disorders, such as insomnia or sleep apnea, and these issues can have some serious consequences. Sleep deprivation impacts cognition, mental health, and can even boost the risk of health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and gastrointestinal problems. And if that's not enough, it seems that sleep disorders can also elevate the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease [1].
"Sleep quality and sleep disorders are often warning signs for cognitive decline years before other symptoms of dementia show up," said Dr. David M. Holtzman, a professor of neurology and the scientific director of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at Washington University School of Medicine [2].
Research from Holtzman's lab and others has pointed out that disrupted sleep can lead to an increase in both beta-amyloid and tau proteins, both hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease [2]. But there may be a glimmer of hope in the form of a medication called lemborexant.
Lemborexant, sold under the brand name Dayvigo, is a sleep medication that belongs to a class of drugs known as dual orexin receptor antagonists [1]. Orexin is a protein in the brain that keeps us awake and alert. By blocking the orexin receptors, lemborexant allows sleep to happen more easily.
Recent research with a mouse model has shown that lemborexant might have more than just sleep-inducing powers—it may also protect the brain from the buildup of tau, a protein that contributes to nerve cell damage and memory loss in Alzheimer's disease [1]. In the healthy brain, tau acts as a support structure, helping cells function properly and transport nutrients. However, in Alzheimer's and tauopathies, tau loses its shape and becomes abnormal, forming harmful tangles that contribute to cell death and memory loss [1].
To study the effects of lemborexant on tau buildup, researchers used it to treat a mouse model predisposed to having tau buildup in the brain. After treating the mice with lemborexant, they found that it helped prevent the buildup of tau in the brain, reducing the inflammatory brain damage that tau buildup is known to cause in Alzheimer's disease [1]. The treatment also led to a 30-40% larger hippocampus volume in the mice treated with lemborexant compared to those not treated with the medication [1].
These findings have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of sleep disorders and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, as many people complain of insomnia, leading to a host of other problems from exhaustion to memory issues. If lemborexant demonstrates the same benefits in humans as it did in the mice, it could offer a promising treatment option for those struggling with both chronic insomnia and Alzheimer’s [2]. Still, further research is needed to determine the drug's safety and effectiveness in humans [2].
- The risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease might be elevated due to sleep disorders.
- Sleep disorders can serve as warning signs for cognitive decline years before other dementia symptoms appear.
- Disrupted sleep has been linked to an increase in both beta-amyloid and tau proteins, known hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.
- A medication called lemborexant, sold under the brand name Dayvigo, could potentially offer a promising treatment option for chronic insomnia and Alzheimer’s disease.
- In a mouse model, lemborexant was found to prevent the buildup of tau, a protein that contributes to nerve cell damage and memory loss in Alzheimer's disease.
- If lemborexant demonstrates similar benefits in humans as it did in mice, it could revolutionize the treatment of sleep disorders and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. However, further research is needed to determine the drug's safety and effectiveness in humans.
