Snortable Drug 'Replaces' Sleep For Monkeys In Trials 236
sporkme writes "A DARPA-funded research project at UCLA has wrapped up a set of animal trials testing the effects of inhalation of the brain chemical orexin A, a deficiency of which is a characteristic of narcolepsy. Monkeys were deprived of sleep, and then given a shot of the compound. 'The study ... found orexin A not only restored monkeys' cognitive abilities but made their brains look "awake" in PET scans. Siegel said that orexin A is unique in that it only had an impact on sleepy monkeys, not alert ones, and that it is 'specific in reversing the effects of sleepiness' without other impacts on the brain.' Researchers seem cautious to bill the treatment as a replacement for sleep, as it is not clear that adjusting brain chemistry could have the same physical benefits of real sleep in the long run. The drug is aimed at replacing amphetamines used by drowsy long-haul military pilots, but there would no doubt be large demand for such a remedy thanks to its apparent lack of side-effects."
Replacement for sleep? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:But can it *replace* sleep? (Score:5, Insightful)
All we've got is... (Score:3, Insightful)
More research needs to be done before we can have a worthwhile discussion of this as a "sleep replacement."
Also, this would not be a permanent replacement, so no trying to bash this study with the 'The human body needs sleep' argument.
A quote from my high school days (Score:4, Insightful)
This sort of stuff creeps me out. As BWJones commented, we don't know enough about exactly how sleep works and what its function is in our mental health to start eliminating it by messing with the brain's chemistry. This will likely end up being abused by someone, be it the military, commercial pilots, or students trying to cram for a test, or some sicko as part of a brain washing regime, it doesn't matter, it will happen and it won't be pretty.
I'll stick with coffee thank you very much.
In related news... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:All we've got is... (Score:3, Insightful)
I do wonder if it can be applied as a quick fix.
It would have to work nearly instantly, though... imagine a sleepy driver. The car's computer can detect the drowsiness, make a surprising, loud noise to snap the driver awake, and spray a mist of this drug in his face. Enough to get home safely, but not enough to hamper the real sleep he'll get when he gets home.
Re:Speculation (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A world without sleep (Score:5, Insightful)
The new norm.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Free time will be filled with more work to do. In a world where sleep is optional, some people will be willing to work 20 hours a day or more. Slowly, this will become expected.
This tech is here to stay; trying to change that would just be silly. If, as posters above have said, this isn't really a sleep replacement then it's only a matter of time, the tech will come.
Some people will try to call it "unnatural" or "evil", it won't make a difference.
The question is,
how will you react when it happens and you're asked to come in for an 18 hour workday instead of your normal 8-12 to "stay competitive".
Is it that crazy of an idea that maybe people should
*sadly goes off and reads a book*
Re:2 am post (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:But can it *replace* sleep? (Score:4, Insightful)
What's that? No, you can't back out. Think of the animals!
Re:But can it *replace* sleep? (Score:2, Insightful)
Our human body's through evolution have become very advanced and have developed some fantastic biological systems. If we consider that we sleep for a 3rd of our 24hours day and this is the best that evolution can do for us then there are obviously some very important processes/actions that happen when we're sleeping. If sleep wasn't such an important factor then us as animals would have surely evolved enough to not need sleep, with no sleep we would have more time to follow the necessities of life, survival, eating drinking, (and if your lucky enough) Reproduction!
Re:Pilots on meth? (Score:3, Insightful)
The amphetamines used by pilots are very slow-acting (by amphetamine standards) so they don't produce quite as much of the "jittery high" that is usually associated with their more common forms. [...] I'd much rather have pilots with nukes alert at the end of a 20-hr flight than dozing off.
mourning at a ceremony for the four soldiers killed by US "friendly fire" in Afghanistan. A US F-16 dropped a 227-kilogram bomb on the men while they were taking part in a live-fire training exercise near Kandahar.
Re:But can it *replace* sleep? (Score:2, Insightful)
This could lead to a so-called super soldier who doesn't need sleep going on a rampage and killing his comrades because he thought he saw the enemy. You can't just replace sleep with a pill. That's a nut we aren't going to crack. That's my two cents.
Re:But can it *replace* sleep? (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, leave it to science to try to replace the one part of my life that I really, unconditionally adore.
"Science" isn't trying to replace that, people are trying to do that. Science is just the tool used to accomplish it.
If you want to blame anything, blame the motivation people have to sleep less and less. The research is funded by the military for pilots, but the interest from the rest of the public comes from that.