Muscle Protein Holds Key To Certain Sleep Disorders

Besides the brain, protein levels in muscles could also be potential targets for sleep disorders.

Highlights

Sleep loss, as previously thought may not always be linked to the brain.
A protein in the muscle can reduce the effects of sleep loss in mice.
BMAL1 a circadian clock protein in the muscle regulates the length and manner of sleep.

The brain regulates the circadian clock and the sleep-wake up patter. So when the body is deprived of sleep, it is the brain that we look up to, for treatment.

But, scientists have found that a protein found in muscles play an equal role in sleep regulation. A collaboration between UT Southwestern's Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and two other medical centers found a new target to deal with sleep deprivation or excessive sleepiness.

About Sleep Disorder
Sleep disorders can either be having difficulty in getting sleep or dozing off at inappropriate time.

‘Levels of a protein in the muscle than in the brain can lessen the effects of sleep loss.’

Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders are of different kinds and the reason behind each disorder varies. This may include difficulty falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times, excessive total sleep time or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep.

More than 100 different disorders of sleeping and waking have been identified. They are put into four categories.

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders - Types, Causes, Health risks, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis
Circadian rhythm (also known as sleep/wake cycle or the body clock) is a biological process that follows an internal cycle of roughly 24 hours.

Insomnia
Hypersomnias
Problems with adhering to a regular sleep schedule
Sleep disruptive behaviors

Muscle Protein BMAL1 Regulates Sleep

The study, done in mice shows that the protein in the muscle can lessen the effects of sleep loss. BMAL1, the circadian clock protein in the muscle regulates the length and manner of sleep.

Hypnotherapy for Sleep Disorders
Hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention that is associated with heightened suggestibility and relaxation, resulting in acceptable selective thinking.

"This finding is completely unexpected and changes the ways we think sleep is controlled," said Dr. Joseph S. Takahashi, Chairman of Neuroscience at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The presence or absence of the protein in the brain had little effect on sleep recovery but higher levels of BMAL1 in the muscles helped in recovery from sleep deprivation.

Sleep Disorder : Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes - An urge to move, usually due to uncomfortable sensations that occur primarily in the legs.

When BMAL1 was removed from the muscles, normal sleep was distorted leading to an increased need for sleep, deeper sleep, and a reduced ability to recover.

The finding could be of use to implement therapies that could benefit people in occupations requiring long stretches of wakefulness, from military to airline piloting.

"These studies show that factors in muscles can signal to the brain to influence sleep. If similar pathways exist in people, this would provide new drug targets for the treatment of sleep disorders," said Dr. Takahashi, holder of the Loyd B. Sands Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience.

Reference

Dr. Joseph S. Takahashi et al., Muscle, not brain, may hold answers to some sleep disorders, eLife (2017).

Source-Medindia