Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Drug Reduces Lack of Sleep Effect
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.
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.
