Created a pill that Wake in case of danger
Scientists have created a pill that does not prevent the brain to perceive alarms and Wake up in response to them. While medication has proven effective only on mice, but researchers hope that in the case of men, the effect is the same reported in an article published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
According to studies, the most common hypnotics — benzodiazepines — not only stimulate the Gabaa receptor, which causes drowsiness, but also inhibit the brain’s ability to perceive external information, which can be interpreted as carrying a threat.
When testing the drug class benzodiazepine half of the study participants woke up at the sound of the fire alarm, the volume of which was comparable to the sounds of a running vacuum cleaner in the immediate vicinity of the sleeping. Normal, without the influence of sleeping pills, the brain is able to process such signals and to force a person to Wake up.
Japanese researchers from Kagoshima University have reported the development of a new hypnotic drug called DORA-22. Tests on mice showed that the drug not only prevented the rodents Wake up when danger signals (smell the Fox, shaking of the cage, high-frequency noise), but allow them to fall asleep quickly after waking up. Furthermore, DORA-22 and triazolam (a sedative from the class of benzodiazepines) showed the same increase in sleep time in mice (30-40% more than with placebo).
Despite the fact that new drug, only to go through human trials, the researchers are already considering it as a promising replacement of traditional benzodiazepines.