Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Research in Sleep Deprivation Rebound

Researchers identify molecule that helps the sleep-deprived to mentally rebound.

"Sleep experts know that the mental clarity lost because of a few sleepless nights can often be restored with a good night's rest. Now, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a key molecular mechanism that regulates the brain's ability to mentally compensate for sleep deprivation.

Working with mice, they found that a molecule called an adenosine receptor is necessary for sleep-restricted animals to attain adequate levels of slow-wave activity in the brain once normal sleep resumes. It is this increase in slow-wave activity, or SWA, during rebound sleep that helps restore normal working memory and attention skills to the sleep-deprived, the scientists report in the Feb. 4 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience."

"The research also further explains the effects of caffeine, which also "docks" to adenosine receptors, preventing the docking of adenosine and keeping the caffeine-drinker awake"

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