Faculty Profile

We have developed a rodent model of stress-induced insomnia and have examined the brain regions of the sleep-wake circuitry that are activated in this sleep disorder. During insomnia, there is simultaneous activation of the main sleep-promoting regions and some wake-promoting areas, as well as high cortical activity. Inactivation of some of the key components of the circuitry involved in insomnia (using selective drugs or lesions) attenuates specific sleep disturbances associated to this disorder, and has helped to determine the relations among different components of the circuitry. These studies have been useful to identify more specific targets for pharmacological treatment, which might lead to improved therapies for this highly prevalent sleep disorder. We are currently studying the effects of new drugs (and old drugs for comparison) in the rodent model of insomnia.

NIH/NIMH, Neural circuitry in stress-induced insomnia (PI: Georgina Cano)
Merck, Effects of Gaboxadol in a rat model of stress-induced insomnia (PI: C. Saper)

Related links
Science News Online article: "Insomniac brains are both asleep and awake"
NIH State-of-the-Science Conference on Manifestations of Chonic Insomnia in Adults, June 13-15, 2005, "Neurobiology of Insomnia", p. 43

Saper CB, Cano G, Scammell TE. Homeostatic, circadian, and emotional regulation of sleep.
J Comp Neurol. 2005 Dec 5;493(1):92-8. Review. [PMID: 16254994]