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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: 'Sleep switch' in brain discovered by Oxford in breakthrough which could lead to better sleeping pills A pill to help insomniacs drop off instantly could be developed after scientists discovered the brain switch which triggers sleep. Dubbed ‘Sandman’ the switch is triggered by falling levels of the chemical dopamine which is known to keep people awake. Scientists at Oxford University have been trying to work out how the brain suddenly switches off in sleep, a process which has widespread effects throughout the brain. The breakthrough could lead to a new generation of sleeping pills Sleep is governed by two systems—the circadian clock which monitors the time of day, and a mechanism called the ‘sleep homeostat’ which can trigger sleepiness even when it is not dark. "The circadian clock allows us to anticipate predictable changes in our environment that are caused by the Earth’s rotation,"said lead author Professor Gero Miesenböck. Ways to relax your body before bedtime Play! 01:51 "As such, it makes sure we do our sleeping when it hurts us least, but it doesn’t speak to the mystery of why we need to sleep in the first place. "That explanation will likely come from understanding the second controller—called the sleep homeostat. “The homeostat measures something—and we don’t know what that something is—that happens in our brains while we are awake, and when that something hits a certain ceiling, we go to sleep. The system is reset during sleep, and the cycle begins anew when we wake up." A woman struggles to sleep Finding a drug to trigger the Sandman switch could help insomniacs The team studied the sleep homeostat in the brain of fruit flies which are thought to have the same sleep-control neurons as humans. If the sleep-neurons are electrically active, the fly is asleep, and when they are silent, the fly is awake. Researchers found that the sleep-control neurons are either on or off based on the activity of the ‘Sandman’ switch, a physical gate which allows or blocks electrical signals to the cells. When dopamine production stops, the switch is flicked and sleep is triggered. Ways to relax your mind before bedtime Play! 01:31 Scientists think that making a drug to flick the switch could create a new generation of super-efficient sleeping pills. “If human cells have a similar switch closing Sandman could become a very clean and very efficient sleeping pill,” added Professor Misesenbock. “It would be a very quick way of getting to sleep for someone suffering from insomnia. “Sleep is still one of the mysteries. It creates considerable risks to disconnect yourself for seven to eight hours every day. Our long term goal is to find out what sleep is for and try and control it”. The research was published in the journal Nature. Poster Comment: Sleep switch and homeostat likely part of a series of chemical reactions so need to be careful when tinkering with them. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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