Sleep helps Huntington's disease sufferers

CAMBRIDGE, England, July 20 (UPI) -- Mice with the genetic mutation that causes Huntington's disease showed marked improvements after they were given drugs for sleep, found a British study.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that daily treatments of Alprazolam or chloral hydrate -- two different sedative drugs -- enabled the mice to develop a regular sleep pattern and improved their cognitive function -- their ability to understand and act on information.

The Cambridge University neuroscientists conducting the research say mice with Huntington's disease have abnormal circadian rhythms; their daily sleeping and waking cycles are disrupted and irregular.

Since sleep disruption contributes to problems with perception and learning in healthy people, the team wondered whether the circadian disruption and cognitive disturbances in Huntington's disease mice were linked.

The results, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, show that both drugs caused a noticeable improvement in learning, and Alprazolam also improved arousal. The study also shows that treatments aimed at restoring normal sleep-wake activity could slow the cognitive decline that is such a devastating feature of the disease, according to study leader Dr. Jenny Morton.