1 INTRODUCTION
It is reported that accumulation of amyloid β may cause fragmentation of
sleep.1 The accumulation of amyloid β may be
controlled by metabolism of lactate through the astrocytes in
conjunction with sleep-wake cycle. The suprachiasmatic nuclei and pineal
gland control melatonin levels, which are elevated in darkness and
decrease promptly in light and build sleep-wake
cycle.2,3 When sleep is provided by melatonin, default
mode network is seen in non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. The
information of what is experienced in the daytime are moved in the brain
during non-REM sleep through default mode network.4,5Furthermore, memory consolidation occurs during non-REM sleep and it may
be performed by neurogenesis of the hippocampal dentate
gyrus.6,7
The recent studies are successful in the hippocampal neurogenesis in
vivo but have not continued to clinical
application.8,9 The neurogenesis by herbal medicine,
which constitute the traditional Chinese medicine or Japanese Kampo
Medicine, has been reported.10,11 It is expected that
there is the element which connects neurogenesis with clinical
application in those medicine. Neuronal loss under neurodegeneration or
aging is always occurring in the brain of all adults
potentially.12 The hippocampal neurogenesis which
occurred in the adult human brain was confirmed in the precedent
study.13 If clock genes work in the body, circadian
rhythm will be stable, and neurogenesis would occur in the
brain.14,15
Circadian rhythm is seen in a creature influenced by light/dark rhythm
on the earth. It forms awakening-sleep rhythm, and the disorder of
awakening-sleep rhythm produces each autonomic nervous
disorder.16,17,18,19 In the brain, during daytime
there is fluctuating cognition that awakening (action) is mixed by rest
(sleep).20 During night there is the abnormality of
rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (many dreams) that awakening is
strengthened. If patients have autonomic nervous disorder, in the
circulatory organ, the increase of blood pressure or heart rates will be
insufficient, and this condition will produce orthostatic hypotension or
bradycardia during awakening by day. On the other hand, high blood
pressure will be observed during sleep at night, although the blood
pressure during sleep will be low normally.21,22 In
the digestive organs, sthenia of appetite and peristalsis will be
observed by night and loss of appetite will be seen in
morning.23 In the bladder, pollakiuria will be
recognized without the storage of urine during
night.24 Or in the muscle stiffening or atonia in
sleep will remain, although the muscle will adapt voluntary movements
after awakening.25,26 If, against these dysfunctions,
each organ awakes all together in the daytime, maintains an activity
status and forms a sleep status in nighttime, the disorder of
awakening-sleep rhythm will be improved. When awakening-sleep rhythm is
fixed, the rise of melatonin level happens in 14 hours after awakening
and sleep is induced.3 In addition, during stabilized
sleep the default mode network connects perception and experience
regarding active tasks, and the hippocampal neurogenesis performs the
memory consolidation.5,6