Myelin Damage Changes Brain Rhythms in Sleep

Research presented Friday at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies Forum 2026 showed that damage to the myelin sheath alters brain rhythms during sleep, according to Dr. Mohit Dubey of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. Dubey said EEG recordings in mice with damaged myelin revealed electrical spikes during sleep similar to those seen in epilepsy or Alzheimer's patients. The spikes were linked to sleep rhythms such as spindles in non-REM sleep, and researchers also observed slowing of electrical rhythms exclusive to REM sleep. Dubey said the findings suggest sleep recordings may provide a non-invasive way to detect early changes in brain circuit myelination in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's. The work combined sleep neuroscience with the study of demyelinating circuits, though Dubey noted the research is mainly in mice and further studies are needed to understand translation to human disease. The findings have not been peer-reviewed and are considered preliminary.