New Drug Reverses Sleep Deprivation Effects on Brain
August 23, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new drug may temporarily improve performance and reverse sleep deprivation's effects on the brain. New research done in monkeys could be a breakthrough in helping those who must function at top performance despite sleep deficits.
Researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., first tested normal, alert monkeys on a matching task similar to a video game. The monkeys were then retested after they were given varying doses of the drug CX717. At the highest dose, the study finds the drug improved performance to near perfection for the easier tasks and by about 15 percent overall.
The monkeys were also tested after being deprived of sleep for 30 to 36 hours -- the equivalent of humans going about 72 hours without sleep. Without the drug, their overall performance was down compared to when they were alert, but when given CX717 the, their performance was restored to normal levels.
"The effect was to reverse the patterns of activation to the same as when the animal performed the task under normal conditions, says Samuel Deadwyler, Ph.D., senior researcher from Wake Forest. "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."
The drug does not seem to cause hyperactivity, distorted thinking or extended wakefulness. The study is part of a larger effort to eliminate the effects of sleep deprivation on military personnel.
SOURCE: Public Library of Science Biology, published online August 22, 2005
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