The Brain Still Awake, Even During Deep Sleep
Sleep in man is divided in two main phases : non-REM sleep, which occupies most of our early sleep night, and REM sleep, during which our dreams prevail. Non-REM sleep is usually considered as a compensatory 'resting' state for the brain, following the intense waking brain activity. Indeed, previous brain imaging studies showed that the brain was less active during periods of non-REM sleep as compared to periods of wakefulness.
Cognitive Deficits And Sleep-breathing Disorders In Children
Like adults, children can suffer from sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) such as snoring or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In new research published in the November issue of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, scientists explore the interaction between sleep, breathing, and brain function and find that about two-thirds of children with SDB have some degree of cognitive deficit.
Symptoms Of Major Depression Relieved By St. John's Wort
New research provides support for the use of St. John's wort extracts in treating major depression. A Cochrane Systematic Review backs up previous research that showed the plant extract is effective in treating mild to moderate depressive disorders. "Overall, we found that the St.
Highlights Of The Australasian Sleep Confernce, Adelaide 2-4th October
New Australian study finds snoring in children impacts cardiovascular function. Angela Jackman, University of Melbourne and Monash University Primary snoring in children may have an impact on cardiovascular function equivalent to that of moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a new Australian study has found. Primary snoring affects up to 30% of children and has traditionally been considered benign.
New Light On Link Between Snoring And Cognitive Deficits In Children
About two-thirds of children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) snoring or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have some degree of cognitive deficit, but the severity of the cognitive deficit has been notoriously difficult to correlate to the severity of the SDB, suggesting that other important issues may be at play, or that the right factors were simply not being measured.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Risk Decreased With Use Of Fan
Using a fan while an infant is sleeping in a room with inadequate ventilation can decrease the risk of that infant dying of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to a report released on October 6, 2008 in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Sudden infant death syndrome, sometimes called cot death or crib death, describes the unexpected, unexplained death of an apparently health infant.
Using A Fan During Sleep May Reduce Infants' SIDS Risk, Kaiser Permanente Study Shows
Infants who slept in a bedroom with a fan ventilating the air had a 72 percent lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome compared to infants who slept in a bedroom without a fan, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. The study appears in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. This is the first study to examine an association between better air ventilation in infants' bedrooms and reduced SIDS risk.
Transcept Pharmaceuticals Submits New Drug Application For Intermezzo(R) For Treatment Of Middle-of-the-Night Awakenings
Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its lead product candidate, Intermezzo(R) (zolpidem tartrate sublingual lozenge).
Insomnia In Adolescence Linked To Depression And Substance Abuse During Adolescence And Young Adulthood
A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that adolescent insomnia symptoms are associated with depression, suicide ideation and attempts, and the use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs such as cocaine. Findings suggest that the presence of insomnia in adolescents increases the risk of developing mental health problems and also may increase the severity of these problems. Results indicate that adolescents who had symptoms of insomnia were 2.
Learning To Shape Your Brain Activity
A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the successful manipulation of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) amplitude by instrumental SMR conditioning (ISC) improved sleep quality as well as declarative learning. ISC might thus be considered a promising non-pharmacological treatment for primary insomnia. This study allowed participants to "shape their own brain activity" by directly modifying certain electroencephalographic (EEG) activities.
Sleep Affected By Changes In Sex Steroids Associated With Menopause
A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the increased rate of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) change that occurs during menopause is associated with increased objective sleep duration but poor subjective sleep quality. Findings from the sleep profiles created for the study's 365 participants indicate that postmenopausal women had deeper sleep and longer total sleep time than premenopausal women.
Direct Recording Shows Brain Signal Persists Even In Dreamless Sleep
Neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have taken one of the first direct looks at one of the human brain's most fundamental "foundations": a brain signal that never switches off and may support many cognitive functions. The results, appearing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are an important step forward for efforts to outline what neuroscientists call the functional architecture of the brain.
Australasian Sleep Conference Adelaide Convention Centre, Conference Highlights, 2nd October
New research demonstrates greater link between sleep and memory (media conference 12.40pm Adelaide Convention Centre) Robert Stickgold, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School New evidence suggests memory processing is more dependent on good sleep habits than previously thought.
Older Adults Put At Risk For Depression Recurrence When They Suffer Restless Nights
Nearly 60 percent of the nation's elderly have trouble sleeping, whether it's a lot of tossing and turning or outright bouts of insomnia. While for most people sleeplessness can be annoying at best or unhealthy at worst, for elderly individuals who have suffered from depression in the past, poor sleep may be the first sign that a new bout of depression is coming on.
Research Underway To Give Sleep Apnea Sufferers Relief And Rest
For some, a full night's rest can be anything but restful. That's because they have sleep apnea, which causes them to struggle for breath in bouts throughout the night. Six percent of the population is affected by the condition but many don't even know they have it. "They don't make the connection between the fact that they snore loudly at night and they complain about being tired during the day," says Samuel Krachman, D.O.
Takeda Withdraws Its Marketing Authorisation Application For Ramelteon, Europe
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has been formally notified by Takeda Global Research & Development Centre (Europe) Ltd of its decision to withdraw its application for a centralised marketing authorization for the medicine Ramelteon (ramelteon) 4 and 8 mg tablets. Ramelteon was expected to be used for the treatment of primary insomnia in patients aged 18 years or over.
Snoring, Sleep Apnoea And Obesity In Teenagers
Sleep-related breathing disorders, snoring and sleep apnoea are frequent and well-known disorders in children and adults. However, they have been poorly studied in teenagers so far. Angeles Sánchez-Armengol (Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, Seville, Spain) and colleagues have previously reported sleep-related breathing disorders in 267 teenagers (aged 11-19 years) between 1997 and 2000.
Risk For Cardiac Events, Cardiac Death Increased By Popular COPD Treatment
New research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine shows that use of the most commonly prescribed once-a-day treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for longer than one month increases the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke by more than 50 percent. Researchers Sonal Singh, M.D., M.P.H., and Curt Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., of Wake Forest, along with Yoon K.
Who Should Have Surgery For Sleep Apnea?
Even as more and more people in the United States are diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), there remains a disconnect as to who can benefit from corrective surgery. Leading experts in the field of sleep medicine attempted to answer the question of who could benefit from surgery, during a moderated discussion at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in Chicago, IL.
Diagnosis Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Home Sleep Test Deemed Reliable
A small, portable device used for the home diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea has been deemed very reliable, according to new research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in Chicago, IL.
Get An ENT To The White House: Experts Discuss Presidential Struggles With Otolaryngologic Disorders
Even as John McCain and Barack Obama face the wear and tear of the campaign trail, the men who preceded them in the White House might warn of the various ear, nose, and throat ailments that plagued their terms in office. Presidential otolaryngologic health was the topic of discussion during a roundtable mini-seminar during the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in Chicago, IL.
Higher Levels Of Depression Experienced By ENT/Sleep Apnea Patients
Patients who experience a range of ear, nose, and throat-related health problems exhibited a greater prevalence of depression than is observed in the general population, says new research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Chicago, IL. In any given one-year period, approximately 9.5 percent of the population, or about 18.8 million American adults suffer from a depressive illness.
Obese Children With Sleep Disorders May Be Helped, But Not Cured, By Surgery
Surgical interventions for many obese children suffering from obstructive sleep apnea may not cure the problem, says new research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Chicago, IL.
Dreams May Be Influenced By Olfactory Stimuli
What you smell as you sleep has the power to influence your dreams, says new research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Chicago, IL. German researchers used specific volatile odorants with a negative or a positive smell ("rotten eggs" versus "roses") to simulate subjects during sleep. They then recorded the subjects' impressions when they were awakened.
Cycle Of Fatigue Must Be Cured For Hospital Staff, Queensland University Of Technology
Doctors and nurses are putting their own health, and that of their patients, at risk by working too many hours and more research needs to be done to find out how the cycle can be stopped, according to a Queensland University of Technology researcher. Fiona McDonald, an associate lecturer in the Faculty of Law, has completed an extensive study, looking at the different laws in place to regulate working hours across six countries, and said it was a very complex issue.
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