Involvement of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in pregnancy-enhanced sleep.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a crucial cytokine for establishing pregnancy. It has been demonstrated previously in rats that sleep increases during early pregnancy and that centrally administered GM-CSF promotes both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep. Therefore, whether GM-CSF is involved in pregnancy-enhanced sleep was investigated using the anti-GM-CSF antibody.

Hypnotic effects of total aqueous extracts of Vervain hastata (Verbenaceae) in rats.

The in vivo sedative property of the total aqueous extract of the aerial portion of Vervain hastata (Verbenaceae) (TAEV) was studied in male rats to establish its scientific basis in herbal medicine. The investigation was conducted using electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis, and the barbituric-hypnosis test. The results showed that TAEV potentiated the pentobarbital-induced hypnosis significantly by reducing sleep latency and increased sleeping time in a dose-dependent manner that was reversed by flumazenil.

Effects of nocturnal bright light on saliva melatonin, core body temperature and sleep propensity rhythms in human subjects.

Nine healthy male volunteers (mean age of 24) participated in two experimental sessions of random crossover design: a bright light (5000 lux for 5 h from 00:00 to 05:00 h) session and a dim light (10 lux for 5 h from 00:00 to 05:00 h) session. Subsequently participants entered an ultra-short sleep-wake schedule for 26 h, in which a sleep-wake cycle consisting of 10-min sleep EEG recording on a bed and 20-min resting awake on a semi-upright chair were repeated. Saliva melatonin level and core body temperature was measured throughout the experiment.