Association between REM sleep behavior disorder and dementia-related protein accumulation

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K15347
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 51020:Cognitive and brain science-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Egawa Naohiro 京都大学, 医学研究科, 助教 (20534340)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症 / 睡眠 / レビー小体病 / アルツハイマー病 / パーキンソン病 / αシヌクレイン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) accounts for 20% of elderly dementia in Japan and is the second dementia after Alzheimer's disease. pathogenic protein called α-synuclein forms aggregates called Lewy bodies in affected neurons. However, there is no cure or preventive method to suppress these aggregations, and DLB disease model mice do not exist. It has been found that REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) precedes the prodromal symptoms of DLB. The principal investigator created a mouse that artificially accumulates α-synuclein and constructed a sleep monitoring system. In the future, we will clarify the relationship between Lewy body aggregation and sleep, and carry out research related to treatment and prevention methods.

Free Research Field

脳神経内科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

超高齢化社会で増加傾向であるパーキンソン病、レビー小体型認知症の予防と治療法の開発を目指すべく、病態を反映するモデルマウスとそれを解析する新たなシステムを構築した。今後、これらを応用した認知症への新規予防、治療法につながることが期待される。