Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

First Edition: June 30, 2012

Today's headlines include recent reports about both the policies and politics related to the health law's implementation.

30 Jul 2012

Insight into neural basis of human consciousness

Which areas of the brain help us to perceive our world in a self-reflective manner is difficult to measure. During wakefulness, we are always conscious of ourselves. In sleep, however, we are not. But there are people, known as lucid dreamers, who can become aware of dreaming during sleep. Studies employing magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) have now been able to demonstrate that a specific cortical network consisting of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the frontopolar regions and the precuneus is activated when this lucid consciousness is attained.

30 Jul 2012

Lack of sleep can influence the way you perform certain tasks

Anyone that has ever had trouble sleeping can attest to the difficulties at work the following day. Experts recommend eight hours of sleep per night for ideal health and productivity, but what if five to six hours of sleep is your norm? Is your work still negatively affected? A team of researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have discovered that regardless of how tired you perceive yourself to be, that lack of sleep can influence the way you perform certain tasks.

30 Jul 2012

Brief treatments with accelerated resolution therapy reduce symptoms associated with PTSD

Researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing have shown that brief treatments with Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) substantially reduce symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including, depression, anxiety, sleep dysfunction and other physical and psychological symptoms.

28 Jul 2012

Oximetry detects sleep disorder in stroke patients

Nocturnal oximetry is an accurate instrument for detecting and diagnosing sleep apnea syndrome in patients with stroke, research indicates.

27 Jul 2012

Longer looks: Religious health care; 'The big lie' about expanding Medicaid

The Affordable Care Act has a section that exempts members of health care sharing ministries from purchasing insurance. The Amish, Mennonite, Christian Science and Indian tribe communities also are exempt from the penalty that will be incurred on Americans who fail to purchase health insurance by 2014.

27 Jul 2012

Myotonia less important to patients with myotonic dystrophy than other symptoms

Complex, multi-system diseases like myotonic dystrophy - the most common adult form of muscular dystrophy - require physicians and patients to identify which symptoms impact quality of life and, consequently, what treatments should take priority. However, a new study out this month in the journal Neurology reveals that there is often a disconnect between the two groups over which symptoms are more important, a phenomenon that not only impacts care but also the direction of research into new therapies.

26 Jul 2012

Insomnia: an interview with Dr Darryle Schoepp

Insomnia is a very common disorder. In medical terms it can affect a third of people. It affects elderly as well as non-elderly people, and is more common in women.

26 Jul 2012

Adolescent girls three times more likely to have experienced major depressive episodes

A new report shows that the percentage of girls who experience a major depressive episode in the past year triples between the ages of 12 and 15 (from 5.1 percent to 15.2 percent respectively). The report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also shows that an annual average of 1.4 million adolescent girls age 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive episode in the past year.

26 Jul 2012

Female stroke patients more affected in all quality of life domains than males

Having a stroke or mini stroke has a much more profound effect on women than men when it comes to their quality of life, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

26 Jul 2012

Aeterna Zentaris files request with FDA for Fast Track designation for AEZS-130

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that it has filed a request with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Fast Track designation for its oral ghrelin agonist, AEZS-130, as a diagnostic test for adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD).

25 Jul 2012

Once-daily Gralise significantly reduces pain intensity in PHN patients

Depomed, Inc. today announced that a report of Phase 3 data published online this month, ahead of the print edition, in the Clinical Journal of Pain showed that once-daily Gralise (gabapentin) tablets (1,800 mg) formulation significantly reduces intensity of pain in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

23 Jul 2012

Top-line results in Pfizer's Lyrica long term safety study for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Pfizer Inc. announced today that top-line results for Lyrica (pregabalin) capsules Study A0081147 - Long Term Safety and Efficacy of Pregabalin in Subjects with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - demonstrate that drug discontinuation symptoms were low after tapering Lyrica treatment following three months and six months in GAD patients.

23 Jul 2012

Vitamin D might modify damaging effects of smoking on lung function

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with worse lung function and more rapid decline in lung function over time in smokers, suggesting that vitamin D may have a protective effect against the effects of smoking on lung function, according to a new study from researchers in Boston.

21 Jul 2012

Caregivers of stroke survivors are at risk for depression and complications from chronic stress

Caregivers of stroke survivors are at risk for developing depression and complications from chronic stress, according to a study published by researchers at the Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON) in the latest issue of Biological Research for Nursing.

21 Jul 2012

CPAP benefits extend to mild OSA patients

The use of continuous positive airway pressure treatment, an effective option for severe obstructive sleep apnea, should be extended to sleepy patients with milder OSA, say US researchers.

20 Jul 2012

CPAP effectively reduces symptoms and improves QOL in sleepy patients with milder OSA

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), well established as an effective treatment for severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is also effective in patients with mild and moderately severe OSA and daytime sleepiness, according to a new study.

20 Jul 2012

Link between objectively measured sleep and subsequent institutionalization among older women

Tired? Scientists have discovered another possible benefit of a night of restful and uninterrupted sleep. According to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health fragmented or interrupted sleep could predict future placement in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

20 Jul 2012

Teva contributes $2.5M to The Franklin Institute for development of neuroscience exhibit

The Franklin Institute has received a $2.5 million contribution from leading global pharmaceutical company Teva Pharmaceuticals to develop a signature innovative exhibit at the museum exploring neuroscience and the human brain, entitled Your Brain. This contribution brings The Franklin Institute's Inspire Science fundraising campaign total to $65 million.

20 Jul 2012