The Effect of Donepezil on Sleep in Elderly, Healthy Persons: A Double-blind Placebo-controlled Study

Introduction: Previous research in younger individuals has shown that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors tend to enhance REM sleep. Methods: Forty-two healthy elderly persons participated in a double-blind placebo-controlled polysomnographic study (parallel group design). Results: The present study indicates that in the elderly persons, donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor also exerts a marked effect on REM sleep parameters: REM density was increased whereas REM latency was reduced, thus, confirming the findings of our pilot study described earlier. Conclusion: Whether the cholinergic stimulation measured by polysomnography is related to treatment efficacy is a very interesting but an open question. Based on the findings that REM sleep is associated with memory consolidation, the question whether REM sleep augmentation enhances memory performance-as suggested by the findings of the pilot study-seems to be an interesting topic for future research.

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