Sleeping in a lateral position rather than on the back or stomach would allow the brain to better eliminate waste and therefore prevent the onset of Charcot’s disease.
- Playing sports would reduce the risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease like Charcot’s.
- In France, there are 1,000 new cases of Charcot’s disease per year.
About 7,000 people have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Charcot’s disease, according to thebrain institute. It is a serious degenerative pathology. “In about 30% of cases, it begins in the brainstem. (…) The first manifestations are difficulties in articulating or swallowing. In the other cases, ALS first alters the peripheral motor neurons: (. ..) it is by weakness and discomfort in an arm, a leg or a hand that the beginning of the disease is manifested”explains Inserm.
As there is currently no treatment for this disease, the symptoms gradually increase with contractures, stiffness of muscles and joints, muscle wasting or even coordination disorders. When the respiratory muscles are affected, the risk of death is very high.
The protein waste involved
Researchers may have just discovered a future therapeutic target for this disease: the glymphatic system, which eliminates waste from the brain. Their results were published in the journal Translational Neurodegeneration.
To understand this discovery, we must first analyze how our brain eliminates waste. In our body, there are protein chains that fold to activate certain functions such as the creation of antibodies or the transport of molecules. But sometimes, some fold badly, do not perform their function and, above all, create a cluster of proteins “misfolded”. The latter fragment, become smaller and create other clusters in the brain. These protein wastes are one of the causes of the development of many neurodegenerative pathologies, such as Charcot’s disease.
Sleep activates the glymphatic system
The researchers therefore wanted to understand whether eliminating or slowing the spread of these protein waste products could stop or slow the progression of Charcot’s disease. For this, they were therefore interested in the glymphatic system which eliminates waste, including protein.
The glymphatic system is activated by sleep. Thus, with age, the quality of nights decreases and the risk of suffering from a neurodegenerative pathology increases. In addition, sleep disorders would also be a risk factor.
To understand the impact of sleep, the researchers conducted experiments on mice that they genetically modified to carry the protein implicated in ALS. They thus saw that the glymphatic system of rodents was affected very early in the context of the disease, before the appearance of symptoms. They therefore believe that the glymphatic system could be a therapeutic target to prevent the onset of the condition.
Avoid sleeping on your back or stomach to prevent the occurrence of Charcot’s disease
According to the authors, it is necessary to sleep long enough, but also to be lying in a lateral position to reduce the risk of suffering from Charcot’s disease. This position would allow the brain to better eliminate waste compared to positions lying on your back or on your stomach. Finally, the researchers also note that limiting alcohol consumption and eating certain foods, such as those rich in omega-3, could reduce the risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease.
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