Amino Acids May Solve Sleeping Problems

Researchers may have discovered the solution for those suffering from concussions and traumatic brain injuries. This research may lead to the development of dietary supplements that contain chain amino acids to solve sleeping and wakefulness issues among the brain-injured.

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Scientific experiments were conducted on mice with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Like humans, mice with TBI had problems sustaining wakefulness. Orexin neurons, which are responsible for sustaining alertness and wakefulness, were observed to be in lower levels among brain-injured mice compared to those of the uninjured mice. With dietary therapy of branched amino acids, the levels of orexin neurons in the injured mice were restored, and the mice resumed normal activity level and wakefulness.

Similarly, the levels of orexin neurons determine the ability of humans to keep awake during the day. For those who suffer from concussions (also considered as mild TBI) and TBI, the orexin levels in the spinal fluid are significantly reduced. Restoring this level is crucial for the treatment of TBI patients and the resumption of their normal life, or the semblance of a normal life. Sustained wakefulness during the day will result to less or no insomnia at night; this then will positively impact on the patient’s overall disposition and quality of life.

Another good thing about branched amino acids, the kind that was used in the research, is that they are sourced from what humans ordinarily consume, such as poultry and eggs, red meat, and other protein-rich foods. Branched amino acids boost the efficiency of neurotransmitters and, in the case of both mice and humans, solve problems on sleeping disturbances and inability to maintain wakefulness.

The first author of the study Miranda Lim, M.D., Ph.D. stated that further research will be conducted. She added that should the succeeding researches confirm the initial study conducted, the next step will be the development of a dietary supplement that will contain the therapeutic amino acids. Lim, who is both a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist, said that sleep problems result to attention deficits and memory losses in TBI patients. Patients suffer from costly rehabilitation and the lifetime need for assisted living.  Improving sleep patterns, no doubt, will substantially improve the cognitive recovery and quality of life of TBI patients.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Medicine. Senior author and neuroscientist Akiva S. Cohen, Ph.D. and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia were granted a provisional patent for the use of the dietary therapy to treat TBI in patients.

Reference:

Oregon Health & Science University. “Dietary amino acids improve sleep problems in mice with traumatic brain injury.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 December 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131211185331.htm>.