Wake Up! Hypocretin 1 Makes Sleep Optional

Orexin A (hypocretin-1) is a peptide hormone that according to recent research has the ability to keep monkeys awake. Now the US Military is attempting to show that it can do the same for humans.

Orexin A is a promising candidate to become a "sleep replacement" drug. For decades, stimulants have been used to combat sleepiness, but they can be addictive and often have side effects, including raising blood pressure or causing mood swings. The military, for example, administers amphetamines to pilots flying long distances, and has funded research into new drugs like the stimulant modafinil and orexin A in an effort to help troops stay awake with the fewest side effects.

...The research follows the discovery by Siegel that the absence of orexin A appears to cause narcolepsy. That finding pointed to a major role for the peptide's absence in causing sleepiness. It stood to reason that if the deficit of orexin A makes people sleepy, adding it back into the brain would reduce the effects, said Siegel....Any commercial treatment using the substance would need approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which can take more than a decade.Wired

What else can the orexins do besides help monkeys stay awake? Orexin reportedly also increases the craving for food.

Clearly there is a lot to be learned about the effects of these peptide hormones. This hormone has the potential to be a drug of abuse, if the FDA drags its feet too long.

Hat tip Impact Lab