One recent study showed that zolpidem, as well as treating insomnia, might improve cognitive function. The trial included patients between ages 18 and 30, but not older patients who may have greater risk for cognitive impairments. Although the data do not show clearly that sedatives/hypnotics can enhance cognition, “the basic science tells us we really need to look at this a little bit more,” said Dr. Bliwise.
Improved Sleep Enhances Mental Performance for Some Patients
Some findings from Dr. Bliwise’s research indicate that better sleep quality could reduce cognitive impairment. One of his patients, a woman, age 79, had sleep apnea and an MMSE score of 22. She had difficulty remembering words and experienced other cognitive problems. After three months of treatment with CPAP, the woman’s MMSE score increased by five points.
In addition, Michael K. Scullin, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, examined data from Dr. Bliwise’s ongoing study of patients with Parkinson’s disease, some of whom had cognitive impairments. He found that patients’ improvements on the Backward Digit-Span test were substantially correlated with the amount of slow-wave sleep that they had had during the previous night. The improvements were not related to the amount of slow-wave sleep that patients had at baseline. “There’s clearly something there,” said Dr. Bliwise. “Maybe there’s more of a story to be told here. We have to learn.”
—Erik Greb