[Development of compounds active in insomnia: recent developments and methodological aspects].
Most pharmacotherapeutic treatments designed to treat insomnia target GABAergic activity globally in the brain. Development of new molecules having a more specific activity pathway should improve treatment efficacy and acceptance. Both subjective and objective criteria are needed to study drug efficacy. Data regarding drug effects on polysomnographic recordings are mandatory for the development of hypnotics. Whether the drug-induced sleep is comparable to normal sleep is tackled with the spectral analysis of the sleep EEG. Residual drug effects are assessed with a package of psychomotor and neurocognitive tests, and with the driving simulator test Clinical studies investigating drug efficacy and tolerability have to be conducted on large groups of patients carefully selected using polysomnographic recordings. Our knowledge about sleep will undoubtedly soon become available for treatment of insomnia.
Staner
L
L
Unité d'Exploration des Rythmes Veille-Sommeil et FORENAP, Centre Hospitalier de Rouffach, 27, rue du 4e RSM, 68250 Rouffach. luc.staner@forenap.asso.fr
Luthringer
R
R
Macher
J-P
JP
D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000494:pharmacology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015195:Drug Design; D018755:GABA Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018579:Patient Selection; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000187:drug effects; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology
D018755:GABA Agonists; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid