Screening and Therapeutic Methods for Promoting Wakefulness and Sleep

Background: Current drugs used to modulate sleep and wakefulness cause a number of undesirable side-effects such as anxiety, addiction, and continued sedation. AMPA and PrRP receptors are found in the reticular thalamic nuclear (RTN) region of the brain that has been implicated in sleep rhythms, attention processing, and absence seizures. The AMPA receptor plays a role in synaptic plasticity and has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. Technology: University of California, Irvine researchers have found that injection of Prolactin Releasing Peptide (PrRP) in mammals promotes wakefulness and also suppresses spike wave discharges during absence seizures. PrRP receptor activation in response to PrRP agonists specifically reduces AMPA receptor mediated oscillatory activity in the RTN. This mediated oscillatory activity is implicated in absence seizures and absence seizures are effectively suppressed in mammals. PrRP agonist binding to the PrRP receptor effectively promotes wakefulness in mammals. Conversely, it can be envisioned that PrRP receptor antagonist binding promotes sleep. PrRP agonists and antagonists can also be used to modulate the AMPA receptor. Application: PrRP agonists and antagonists can be used in the therapy of epilepsies, other diseases associated with absence seizures, promoting wakefulness and sleep in normal individuals and those having sleep disorders. Additionally, a method to rapidly screen PrRP agonists, antagonists and AMPA modulators may be developed.

Patents:
US 6,884,596

Type of Offer: Licensing



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