Treatment of Disturbed Sleep in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2024-05-15
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Prior research has identified profound sleep disruption in individuals with PSP. Not only
were these individuals sleeping relatively short periods at night, they were also not
recuperating lost sleep during the day. Research also showed the relative preservation of a
series of nuclei key in regulating wake and arousal. Investigators believe that
therapeutically targeting wake promoting centers with a specific medication will improve
sleep quality and overall well-being in PSP. To study this, investigators will be doing a
double blind, within subject, remote clinical trial with 3 conditions: suvorexant- which
targets a wake promoting system, zolpidem- a standard hypnotic that engages sleep promoting
systems, versus placebo. Each condition will last 1 week and will be separated by a 1 week
washout period on no sleep medications. Investigators will measure sleep patterns and daytime
symptoms to determine if suvorexant, zolpidem, or both medications are safe and effective for
treating sleep disturbances and improving overall well-being in PSP.