In the past years, there have been many important advances in the field of neuropharmacology and, in particular, in the treatment of sleep-related disorders. However, many chemical compounds that are employed in the treatment of insomnia, sleepiness, and narcolepsy, lack specificity and efficiency. Others could cause a wide range of side effects, beyond their main curative action, that are difficult to control and that worsen the symptoms. Wakefulness and sleep are fundamental processes preserved in the whole animal kingdom and their disfunctions can severely impair the health of individuals. Sleep is a reversable biological status characterized by the absence of wakefulness and reduced sensitivity to environmental stimuli but at the same time, is a dynamic process that regulates many physiological functions and more importantly, restores the body through the removal of toxins that are accumulated in the brain during waking.
Research shows that getting bad or little sleep, increases the risk to develop cardiovascular and neurological diseases, diabetes, and obesity. However, the sleep mechanisms and dynamics are not yet fully described. Recent studies are currently shedding light on new neuronal circuits involved in the sleep/wake and circadian regulation. New avenues of research will be then dedicated to describing the neuronal populations and cell-specific interactions with the hope to develop more sophisticated pharmacological approaches that consider the neurobiological heterogeneity of the key brain areas that are compromised in the sleep/wake disorders. With the help of more advanced animal models, the last aim will be to design better therapeutic strategies to be used in the clinic.
In this research topic, we focus on novel pharmacological approaches that could be employed to combat with high efficiency, sleep disorders, and in particular, narcolepsy. We then discuss the brain circuits, mechanisms, and the roles of wake-promoting signals that, in the brain, modulate the activity of the circuits which are at the basis of sleep/wake regulation.
We welcome Original Research and Review articles falling under the following topics:
• Novel drugs employed in the treatment of sleep disorders and narcolepsy (e.g., orexin receptors agonists/antagonists, histamine 3 receptor inverse-agonists, etc.);
• New brain circuits and pathways involved in sleep/wake regulation and circadian rhythms;
• New updates on monoamines receptors pharmacology to modulate sleep/wake circuits;
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
In the past years, there have been many important advances in the field of neuropharmacology and, in particular, in the treatment of sleep-related disorders. However, many chemical compounds that are employed in the treatment of insomnia, sleepiness, and narcolepsy, lack specificity and efficiency. Others could cause a wide range of side effects, beyond their main curative action, that are difficult to control and that worsen the symptoms. Wakefulness and sleep are fundamental processes preserved in the whole animal kingdom and their disfunctions can severely impair the health of individuals. Sleep is a reversable biological status characterized by the absence of wakefulness and reduced sensitivity to environmental stimuli but at the same time, is a dynamic process that regulates many physiological functions and more importantly, restores the body through the removal of toxins that are accumulated in the brain during waking.
Research shows that getting bad or little sleep, increases the risk to develop cardiovascular and neurological diseases, diabetes, and obesity. However, the sleep mechanisms and dynamics are not yet fully described. Recent studies are currently shedding light on new neuronal circuits involved in the sleep/wake and circadian regulation. New avenues of research will be then dedicated to describing the neuronal populations and cell-specific interactions with the hope to develop more sophisticated pharmacological approaches that consider the neurobiological heterogeneity of the key brain areas that are compromised in the sleep/wake disorders. With the help of more advanced animal models, the last aim will be to design better therapeutic strategies to be used in the clinic.
In this research topic, we focus on novel pharmacological approaches that could be employed to combat with high efficiency, sleep disorders, and in particular, narcolepsy. We then discuss the brain circuits, mechanisms, and the roles of wake-promoting signals that, in the brain, modulate the activity of the circuits which are at the basis of sleep/wake regulation.
We welcome Original Research and Review articles falling under the following topics:
• Novel drugs employed in the treatment of sleep disorders and narcolepsy (e.g., orexin receptors agonists/antagonists, histamine 3 receptor inverse-agonists, etc.);
• New brain circuits and pathways involved in sleep/wake regulation and circadian rhythms;
• New updates on monoamines receptors pharmacology to modulate sleep/wake circuits;
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.