Dementia could be treated by manipulating brain waves as we sleep

Scientists think that manipulating brain waves while we dream could help treat dementia.

Dementia is a term used for a group of conditions that affect a person’s brain function, affecting things like memory and the ability to use reason.

In the search for new treatments against the disease, scientists in the UK have successfully manipulated two significant types of brain waves as participants in their study to examine critical neurological activities slept.

As part of the study published in SLEEP, researchers at the University of Surrey manipulated the brain waves known as the alpha and theta oscillations in 18 healthy young adults while they slept.

Alpha and theta oscillations are closely associated with rest and relaxation and are seen during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of the sleep cycle – named after the jerking motion of our eyes during this time.

REM is typically when our most vivid dreams occur and is involved in the consolidation of memory and cognition.

Using closed-loop auditory stimulation (CLAS), the participants were played auditory stimulation during REM sleep in six second bursts on and off.

The experts found that they were able to manipulate brain waves, with them either becoming faster or slower depending on the part of the oscillation targeted.

The study’s author, Dr Valeria Jaramillo, explained: “Brain oscillations assist in the working of the brain and how it learns and retains information. Brain oscillations during REM sleep have been implicated in memory functions – however, their exact role remains largely unclear.

“In dementia, brain activity during REM sleep becomes slower, which is associated with a reduction in the ability to remember certain life events and retain information.

“Stimulating brain waves with sound can increase their frequency and this can help to better understand how brain oscillations in REM sleep promote cognition and how REM sleep can be improved in those with dementia.”

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