title: Pharmacological treatment of sleep disorders and its relationship with neuroplasticity.
abstract: Sleep and wakefulness are regulated by complex brain circuits located in the brain stem, thalamus, subthalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and cerebral cortex. Wakefulness and NREM and REM sleep are modulated by the interactions between neurotransmitters that promote arousal and neurotransmitters that promote sleep. Various lines of evidence suggest that sleep disorders may negatively affect neuronal plasticity and cognitive function. Pharmacological treatments may alleviate these effects but may also have adverse side effects by themselves. This chapter discusses the relationship between sleep disorders, pharmacological treatments, and brain plasticity, including the treatment of insomnia, hypersomnias such as narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome (RLS), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and parasomnias.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry and Behavioral Science-Division of Sleep Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Vivien C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Abad
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guilleminault
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D020447:Parasomnias / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*