ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — We all know how much better we feel after a good night’s sleep, but sleep is also key for staying healthy. If you don’t get enough sleep, there’s evidence that your brain activity changes. Researchers are studying the impact of sleep on insomniac fruit flies to see how they can help humans.
For 59-year old Deb Thum a simple game of dominoes with her mother, Lorie, is easier now than ever before.
For years, Thum struggled with sleep apnea, waking up every few minutes overnight. Sleep deprivation wrecked her focus.
Thum told Ivanhoe, “I just know I had to work harder than anybody else. People would say ‘oh that only took me half an hour.’ It would take me three hours.”
Neurobiologist Paul Shaw, PhD, from Washington University in St. Louis, is studying fruit flies to uncover the secrets of sleep. Of all animals, Shaw says fruit fly genes are easy to manipulate.
“I can take a human gene that’s involved in patterning your hand, I can take that human gene and put it in a fly and I get a wing,” explained Shaw.
Shaw takes flies that are missing the gene responsible for memory and puts them to sleep for two days, either with drugs or by using light to activate brain neurons. When they wake up, the flies behave normally.
“These animals are still broken, the gene is still missing, the brain structure is gone. Somehow sleep has allowed the brain to adapt and do interesting things,” Shaw told Ivanhoe.
Thum’s doctors helped her solve her sleep problems. Most days, she feels like a different person. Her concentration is back.
Thum said she feels, “Unbelievably different. Two-thousand times better.”
Shaw said he is hoping that his sleep research someday augments current drugs for neurological diseases and eventually paves the way for new therapies that slow or reverse diseases of the brain.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Supervising and Field Producer; Milvionne Chery, Assistant Producer; Tony D’Astoli, Editor; Brent Sucher, Videographer.
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: Fruit Flies Hold the Secret to Sleep: Medicine’s Next Big Thing?
REPORT: MB #4136
BACKGROUND: The cost of insufficient sleep is much higher than most people recognize. Sleep loss and poor sleep quality can lead to an increase in errors at the workplace, decreased productivity, and accidents that cost both lives and resources. Fatigue and inattention due to sleep loss also play a role in preventable accidents. For instance, investigators have concluded that sleep deprivation was a significant factor in the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, the grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker, and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. Safety consequences of sleep deprivation enter many fields where attention is vital. Not getting enough sleep has a significant effect on our ability to function, impacting our mood, our ability to focus, and our ability to access higher-level cognitive functions. After a period of sleep deprivation, there are noticeable changes in brain activity which correspond to a lower level of alertness. Any period of continual wakefulness beyond the typical 16 hours will lead to these measurable changes.
(Source: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-performance-and-public-safety)
SLEEP DISORDERS: According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, at least 40 million Americans suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders and another 20 to 30 million experience occasional sleep problems. Ignoring sleep problems and disorders can lead to disease, weight gain, and strain on daily activities. Luckily, for those with trouble falling asleep or sleep disorders, lifestyle changes and treatments may result in a better night’s sleep. Sleep specialists are specifically trained in sleep medicine, and may find the underlying cause of a lack of sleep and provide treatment options. Lifestyle changes, medications, breathing or sleeping devices may be part of a treatment for sleep disorders such as insomnia, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, and sleep apnea. If self-help remedies for sleep are unsuccessful, it is wise to schedule an appointment with a sleep specialist or family doctor.
(Source: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/sleep-disorders-and-sleeping-problems.htm)
NEW STUDY: New research from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that getting more sleep can help the brain withstand severe neurological defects that may block the formation of memories. In the study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers worked with three groups of fruit flies, which have similar brain mechanisms for sleep to humans. Each group represented disabled genes critical to memory. Researchers, led by Paul Shaw, PhD, found that when induced into a specific type of sleep, the memory problems in the fruit flies were resolved. Although scientists have yet to figure out a way to induce this specific type of sleep in humans, they are hopeful that in the future it could have therapeutic potential.
(Source: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/48999/20150428/fruit-fly-experiment-shows-extra-sleep-may-improve-memory.htm)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Judy Martin
Public Relations
314-286-0105
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
