new sleep drug - glutimate

[Guest guest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4173078.stm

Drug 'reverses sleep lack effect'

The researchers say the drug could help busy doctors

A drug could reverse the effects of sleep deprivation in the brain,

a US study of monkeys has suggested.

The drug comes from a class of molecules called ampakines which

enhance how some chemical receptors work in the brain.

It helped monkeys overcome their lack of sleep, the study in the

Public Library of Science - Biology showed.

Researchers from North Carolina's Wake Forest University hope it

could help people like doctors and shift workers.

The study was partly funded by the US Department of Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency as part of a project to reduce of eliminate

the effects of sleep deprivation on soldiers.

Juice rewards

The drug, currently known as CX717, is designed to act on a type of

chemical receptor that is involved in cell-to-cell communication

involving the neurotransmitter glutamate.

" The more we know about the brain, the more medicines can be

targeted "

Dr Neil Stanley

British Sleep Society

The drug prolongs the action of glutamate, allowing more effective

communication.

In the study, alert monkeys were given a task where each was shown a

picture in one position on the screen.

After a delay of up to 30 seconds, they were asked to pick the

original out of a random display of two to six different images. If

they picked correctly, they were given juice.

When the monkeys were given varying doses of the drug and re-tested,

their performance improved to near perfect for the easier trials and

by about 15% overall.

They were then deprived of sleep for between 30 and 36 hours - which

the researchers say is equivalent to humans going for 72 hours

without sleep.

The animals were tested again, and fared worse on all the tests.

But after being sleep-deprived once more and re-tested after being

given the drug, their performance was restored to normal levels.

Mental 'enhancement'

The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) scanning to

examine the animals' brain activity throughout the study.

When the monkeys were performing the task while sleep-deprived,

activity in the frontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with

higher mental processing, decreased and activity in the temporal

lobe, associated with memory for recent events, increased.

The researchers said this might be the brain's way of compensating

for the effects of sleep deprivation.

After the drug was administered, the brain patterns in these regions

returned to normal.

Deadwyler, of who led the Wake Forest University School of

Medicine research, said: " The drug didn't cause overall brain

arousal, but increased the ability of certain affected areas to

become active in a normal, non-sleep-deprived manner. "

He added: " It's possible that ampakines could also be used to

enhance other cognitive deficits, such as occur in Alzheimer's

disease, after a stroke or other forms of dementia. "

The researchers said the drug did not appear to be linked to side

effects such as hyperactivity, distorted thinking or extended

wakefulness.

The drug's manufacturer, Cortex Pharmaceuticals, has also reported

positive results from tests on sleep-deprived humans with positive

results.

Dr Neil Stanley, of the British Sleep Society, who was involved in

the human study, said: " The more we know about the brain, the more

medicines can be targeted.

" Ampakines are an exciting class of drug.

" If you can keep the brain thriving, more people may have benefits

than shift workers - it may have benefits for people with conditions

such as Alzheimer's disease. "

[Guest guest]

Wow, this report both freaks me out and interests me, as it could

potentially help PWC who are brain fogged in general and suffer from

disrupted sleep cycles. Hmmmm....

Plus, who cares about busy doctors? Hey, what's a little fatigue? They

just need to get more exercise and take some anti-depressants, right?

Well, okay, I guess we should care, if doctors are more alert, they'll

potentially do a better job treating patients, including us. :-)

The monkey thing, that just gives me the creeps. :-(

penny

" Sue " <invisigyrl@y...> wrote:

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4173078.stm

>

> Drug 'reverses sleep lack effect'

>