Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Hornung, O P
• Regen, F
• Dorn, H
• Anghelescu, I
• Kathmann, N
• Schredl, M
• Danker-Hopfe, H
• Heuser, I

Titel

The effects of donepezil on postlearning sleep EEG of healthy older adults

Ist Teil von

• Pharmacopsychiatry, 2009-01, Vol.42 (1), p.9-13

Ort / Verlag

Germany

Erscheinungsjahr

2009

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Aging is associated with cholinergic hypofunction and memory decline. Cholinergic activity also plays a crucial role in sleep-dependent memory consolidation. The acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChE-I) donepezil has been found to increase sleep-related procedural memory consolidation in healthy older adults in a previous study. Data of the former study were reanalyzed with regard to the effects of donepezil on the sleep EEG of healthy older adults. This analysis was conducted with a special focus on spectral parameters of sleep, which have previously been linked to plasticity-related processes during sleep, i.e., sigma and delta activity. Forty-two participants (aged: 60-77 years) received 5 mg of the AChE-I donepezil orally 30 min before bedtime in a placebo-controlled, double-blind design. Power values for EEG delta, theta, alpha1, alpha 2, sigma, beta and gamma frequency bands were calculated for stage 2 NREM sleep, SWS and REM sleep. In line with our hypotheses, the AChE-I donepezil led to an increase in sigma activity during stage 2 NREM sleep and delta activity during slow wave sleep. These results suggest that an AChE-I facilitates processes of sleep-dependent memory consolidation in older adults.