Sleep Aids and Their Potential Role in Alzheimer’s Prevention
A study in Nature Neuroscience found that lemborexant, a sleep medication, can reduce brain inflammation and tau protein buildup in a mouse model of Alzheimer's, suggesting that targeting sleep-wake systems might help prevent or slow neurodegenerative diseases. The drug improved sleep patterns, decreased tau pathology, and protected brain structure, especially in male mice, highlighting potential for repurposing sleep drugs as disease-modifying therapies. However, further research is needed to confirm these effects in humans and understand sex differences.
