Snorting a brain chemical could replace sleep

Chewbaccus · 12-28-2007, 02:45 PM

From Wired:

Quote:

In what sounds like a dream for millions of tired coffee drinkers, Darpa-funded scientists might have found a drug that will eliminate sleepiness.

A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests. ....

The treatment is "a totally new route for increasing arousal, and the new study shows it to be relatively benign," said Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a co-author of the paper. "It reduces sleepiness without causing edginess."

<snip>

The monkeys were deprived of sleep for 30 to 36 hours and then given either orexin A or a saline placebo before taking standard cognitive tests. The monkeys given orexin A in a nasal spray scored about the same as alert monkeys, while the saline-control group was severely impaired.

How bad is it that the first thing that popped in my head after reading this was Goldblum's "You did it. You crazy son-of-a-bitch, you did it" line from Jurassic Park?

classicman · 12-28-2007, 02:48 PM

Wow thats amazing.

xoxoxoBruce · 12-28-2007, 02:50 PM

Seems to me, there is an awful lot about how and why sleep affects the brain, we should learn, before widespread use of this stuff.

classicman · 12-28-2007, 02:53 PM

Can it be any worse than the stuff we, uh er those other people snorted years ago?

xoxoxoBruce · 12-28-2007, 02:56 PM

Yes, because it's endorsed.

Quote:

the new study shows it to be relatively benign

glatt · 12-28-2007, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Seems to me, there is an awful lot about how and why sleep affects the brain, we should learn, before widespread use of this stuff.

That's what the soldiers are for, dummy.

xoxoxoBruce · 12-28-2007, 03:20 PM

Oh yeah, silly me. I was thinking of free people.

busterb · 12-28-2007, 08:19 PM

Darpa-funded scientists might have found a drug that will eliminate sleepiness.

deadbeater · 12-28-2007, 08:23 PM

Yeah, it does look like they found the new torture pill.

12-28-2007, 02:48 PM	#2
classicman barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy. Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 23,401	Wow thats amazing. __________________ "like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt

12-28-2007, 02:50 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Seems to me, there is an awful lot about how and why sleep affects the brain, we should learn, before widespread use of this stuff. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

12-28-2007, 02:53 PM	#4
classicman barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy. Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 23,401	Can it be any worse than the stuff we, uh er those other people snorted years ago? __________________ "like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt

12-28-2007, 03:20 PM	#7
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Oh yeah, silly me. I was thinking of free people. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

12-28-2007, 08:19 PM	#8
busterb NSABFD Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: MS. usa Posts: 3,908	Darpa-funded scientists might have found a drug that will eliminate sleepiness. __________________ I've haven't left very deep footprints in the sands of time. But, boy I've left a bunch.

12-28-2007, 08:23 PM	#9
deadbeater Sir Post-A-Lot Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 439	Yeah, it does look like they found the new torture pill.

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