Replies to post #15908 on RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc (fka RSPI)

[neuroinv]

<<if ampakines have not caused sleep disturbance in the trials so far. >>

In the ADHD trial, 34% of patients at the high dose had insomnia, compared to 13% of patients on placebo. So CX717 does appear to have some potential to disrupt sleep, at least at higher doses--not surprising in that one of the putative indications was to improve wakefulness and alertness in sleep deprivation (not that the poorly executed, DARPA designed study established that, but I think the evidence is that CX717 can have a waking effect). Which is why I refer to the dosing window as the necessary 'sweet spot.'

NeuroInvestment

[Market_Fest4]

Athero,
As someone that suffered with mechanical apnea for many years, I beg to differ from your comments. When the arousal mechanism triggers awakening it is disturbing deep sleep, but it is also saving our lives by getting us oxygen.

For years I had no idea I had apnea until someone observed and was scared by my breathing pattern and described it to me later. I had a sleep study and "woke" over 100 times during my "sleep". The good news is that I often had flying dreams, the bad news was it was nearly impossible to stay awake during meetings at work.

I don't think ampakines can help those with a mechanical cause (throat constriction, for instance) for apnea. But, after questioning Dr. Stoll some time ago about apnea, he brought up the second cause of apnea, which I can't recall at the moment, and what he said made some sense. I think it was more about modulating the rhythms that keep us alive, and maybe he mentioned the pre-Botzinger complex too.
MF4

If the ampakines can avoid the oxygen drop by increasing the tonic stimulation of the basal breathing centers, the arousal mechanism that would trigger awakening, would never come into play, and restorative or high quality sleep would follow.

[enemem]

you have to differentiate between obstructive sleep apnea, due to adipose tissue collapsing the airway, and central sleep apnea, due to central depression of respiratory rhythm generation. The former is the more common form of apnea, and likely won't be impacted by ampakines, since it has nothing to do with central rhythm-generating networks, but rather airway blockade of mechanical origin. Central apnea will likely be treatable with ampakines, but it is a fraction of the overall sleep apnea population.