The use of chronobiotics in the resynchronization of the sleep/wake cycle. Therapeutical application in the early phases of Alzheimer's disease.

The use of chronobiotics in the resynchronization of the sleep/wake cycle. Therapeutical application in the early phases of Alzheimer's disease. Recent Pat Endocr Metab Immune Drug Discov. 2011 May;5(2):80-90 Authors: Cardinali DP, Furio AM, Brusco LI Abstract Treatment of circadian rhythm disorders, whether precipitated by intrinsic factors (e.g., sleep disorders, blindness, mental disorders, aging) or by extrinsic factors (e.g., shift work, jet-lag) has led to the development of a new type of agents called "chronobiotics". The term "chronobiotic" defines a substance displaying the therapeutic activity of shifting the phase or increasing the amplitude of the circadian rhythms. The prototype of this therapeutic group is melatonin, whose administration synchronizes the sleep-wake cycle in blind people and in individuals suffering from circadian rhythm sleep disorders, like delayed sleep phase syndrome, jet lag or shift-work. Daily melatonin production decreases with age, and in several pathologies, attaining its lowest values in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. About half of dementia patients have severe disruptions in their sleep-wakefulness cycle. Melatonin replacement is effective to treat sundowning and other sleep wake disorders in fully developed AD, although controversial data on this point exist. Indeed, large interindividual differences between patients suffering from AD exist and can explain these erratic results. Theoreti...
Source: Recent Patents on Endocrine, Metabolic and Immune Drug Discovery - Category: Endocrinology Tags: Recent Pat Endocr Metab Immune Drug Discov Source Type: research