Orexin gene transfer into the amygdala suppresses both spontaneous and emotion-induced cataplexy in orexin-knockout mice

Around 1 in 2000 people suffer from the sleep disorder narcolepsy. The word comes from narco, meaning numbness, and lepsy, meaning seizures. It is a life-long disorder characterized by daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis and fragmentation, vivid hallucinations during sleep transition, and cataplexy, which is the sudden loss of muscle tone while conscious often triggered by…

The Effects of a Nap on Inhibitory Control after Sleep Deprivation

Inhibitory control is an important component of cognitive functioning as its job is to resist the interference of irrelevant stimuli. Inhibitory control has recently been shown to be impaired by sleep deprivation. These effects are known to effect the fronto-central complexes of the brain – the area of the brain located toward the center of…

Insomnia: A Real Nightmare

  Insomnia is a sleep disorder generally characterized by an inability to fall and stay asleep for extended periods of time. With one in three adults experiencing some form of the disorder during the course of their life, the condition is not only life altering but prevalent as well. Wake and sleep states are coordinated…