Sleep biology discovery could lead to new insomnia treatments that don't target the brain
August 11, 2017 by Stuart Wolpert
The study’s senior author, Ketema Paul, says the findings are the first evidence that a gene outside the brain controls the ability to rebound from sleep deprivation. Credit: Reed Hutchinson/UCLA
UCLA scientists report the first evidence that a gene outside the brain controls the ability to rebound from sleep deprivation—a surprising discovery that could eventually lead to greatly improved treatments for insomnia and other sleep disorders that do not involve getting a drug into the brain.
The scientists report that increasing the level of Bmal1—a critical master gene that regulates sleep patterns—in skeletal muscle makes mice resistant to sleep deprivation.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-08-biology-discovery-insomnia-treatments-dont.html
