Overview

• Research presented at ATS 2025 in San Francisco links REM-suppressing antidepressants to improved two-year survival rates in ALS patients.
• The study, the first to explore REM sleep's role in ALS progression, analyzed a large patient database using a retrospective cohort design.
• Findings suggest that suppressing REM sleep may reduce respiratory compromise caused by muscle atonia, a critical issue in ALS patients with weakened diaphragms.
• Researchers emphasize the need for prospective clinical trials to confirm causality and refine therapeutic strategies targeting sleep architecture.
• The findings may have broader implications for treating other neurodegenerative diseases with respiratory muscle involvement.