Sleep and sleep habits from childhood to young adulthood over a 10-year period.

The aim of this epidemiological study was to utilise a cross-sectional as well as a longitudinal approach to examine sleep habits and how they develop in young people in Iceland. The 668 subjects (1-20 years) who responded to a postal survey in 1985 were followed up 5 and 10 years later. The majority of the variance in bedtime and sleep duration was explained by age, but also to a considerable degree by other factors such as residence, season, and year of survey or interaction of these factors.

Medical risk factors amongst drivers in single-car accidents.

Objectives: To estimate medical risk factors amongst drivers in single-car accidents with special reference to sleepiness and alcohol abuse.

Design: An epidemiological survey by means of multiple-choice questionnaires that were mailed to drivers and a random control group.

Setting: Iceland.

Possible locus for bipolar disorder near the dopamine transporter on chromosome 5.

The dopamine transporter (DAT) plays a key role in the regulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission by mediating the active reuptake of synaptic dopamine. It is an important candidate gene for bipolar disorder because of data implicating dopamine abnormalities in mania, and because it is the site of action of amphetamine, which has activating and psychotogenic properties. DAT has recently been cloned by its homology to a family of transporters, and mapped to chromosome 5p15.

Increased prevalence of sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness in subjects with bronchial asthma: a population study of young adults in three European countries.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether asthma is associated with decreased quality of sleep and increased daytime sleepiness. The study involved a random population of 2,202 subjects supplemented by 459 subjects with suspected asthma, aged 20-45 yrs. The subjects were from Reykjavik (Iceland), Uppsala and Göteborg (Sweden) and Antwerp (Belgium), and participated in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey.

Genetic linkage study of bipolar disorder and the serotonin transporter.

The serotonin transporter (HTT) is an important candidate gene for the genetic transmission of bipolar disorder. It is the site of action of many antidepressants, and plays a key role in the regulation of serotonin neurotransmission. Many studies of affectively ill patients have found abnormalities in serotonin metabolism, and dysregulation of the transporter itself.