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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Neurosci.
Sec. Cellular Neuropathology
Volume 19 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fncel.2025.1515922
Enhancing sleep quality in synucleinopathies through physical exercise
Provisionally accepted- University of Perugia, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
During sleep, several crucial processes for brain homeostasis occur, including the rearrangement of synaptic connections, which is essential for memory formation and updating. Sleep also facilitates the removal of neurotoxic waste products, whose accumulation plays a key role in neurodegeneration. Various neural components and environmental factors regulate and influence the physiological transition between wakefulness and sleep. Disruptions in this complex system form the basis of sleep disorders, as commonly observed in synucleinopathies.Synucleinopathies are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein protein aggregates in the brain. This accumulation in different brain regions leads to a spectrum of clinical manifestations, including hypokinesia, cognitive impairment, psychiatric symptoms, and neurovegetative disturbances. Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in individuals with synucleinopathies, and they not only affect the overall well-being of patients but also directly contribute to disease severity and progression.Therefore, it is crucial to develop effective therapeutic strategies to improve sleep quality in these patients. Adequate sleep is vital for brain health, and the role of synucleinopathies in disrupting sleep patterns must be taken into account. In this context, it is essential to explore the role of physical exercise as a potential non-pharmacological intervention to manage sleep disorders in individuals with synucleinopathies. The current evidence on the efficacy of exercise programs to enhance sleep quality in this patient population is discussed.
Keywords: ICSD, international classification of sleep disorders, DLB, dementia with Lewy bodies, MSA, multisystem atrophy, NREM, non-REM, PD, Parkinson's disease, PSQI, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PFF, pre-formed fibril, REM, rapid eye movement
Received: 23 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Canonichesi, Bellingacci, Rivelli and Tozzi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Alessandro Tozzi, University of Perugia, Perugia, 06123, Umbria, Italy
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