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Related Concept Videos

Management of Insomnia01:19

Management of Insomnia

The sleep cycle, an integral part of human health, consists of several stages with distinct characteristics and functions. It begins with a transition from wakefulness to sleep, known as the light sleep phase, followed by the restorative deep sleep phase, essential for physical recovery and growth. The cycle concludes with the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase, characterized by high brain activity and vivid dreaming. Insomnia, a prevalent sleep disorder, involves difficulty falling asleep, staying...
Insomnia01:27

Insomnia

Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, and waking up too early without being able to return to sleep. People with insomnia often experience these disruptions at least three nights a week for at least one month. Chronic insomnia, which lasts for at least three months, can lead to increased anxiety, which in turn can worsen sleep difficulties, creating a cycle of sleeplessness and stress.
Multiple factors contribute...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents01:17

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents

Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a wide range of substances, each with its unique mechanism of action, uses, and potential adverse effects.
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...
Sleep-Wake Cycles01:24

Sleep-Wake Cycles

Sleep is an essential physiological process vital to maintaining overall well-being. The reticular activating system (RAS), a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates wakefulness and sleep. While it may seem passive, sleep consists of distinct cycles, each with its unique characteristics and functions. Two key sleep phases are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and  rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Clearance Models: Physiological Models01:09

Clearance Models: Physiological Models

Drug clearance is a critical pharmacokinetic process involving the irreversible removal of drugs from the body through various organs over a specified time period. Physiological models are indispensable in determining organ-specific clearance, defined by the proportion of the drug eliminated per unit of time from the organ's blood volume.
The organ's clearance rate depends on the blood flow to the organ and the extraction ratio (E). The extraction ratio describes the organ's proficiency in drug...
Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview01:23

Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview

Sedatives are drugs that alleviate anxiety, while hypnotics induce sleep. Both classes of medication suppress neuronal activity, leading to a calming effect for sedatives and facilitating sleep for hypnotics.
Sedative-hypnotics are categorized into barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs), and non-benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. These drugs work by suppressing central nervous system activity, and this suppression is dose-dependent. Older sedative medications, like barbiturates, follow a linear curve in...

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Epidemiology of insomnia and the need for diagnosis and treatment.

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Safety and subjective sleep effects of ramelteon administration in adults and older adults with chronic primary insomnia: a 1-year, open-label study.

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Circadian phase-shifting effects of repeated ramelteon administration in healthy adults.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice
06:23

A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice

Published on: September 22, 2020

Human physiological models of insomnia.

Gary S Richardson1

  • 1Sleep Research Laboratory, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA. grichar1@hfhs.org

Sleep Medicine
|April 12, 2008
PubMed
Summary

While the exact causes of chronic insomnia are unclear, research suggests disruptions in the sleep homeostat, circadian clock, or brain systems regulating sleep may be involved. Dysfunctional stress-response systems are a leading candidate for primary insomnia pathophysiology.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Pathophysiology

Background:

  • Insomnia is prevalent and consequential, yet its underlying pathophysiology remains poorly understood.
  • Current models are primarily psychological, lacking anatomical or physiological specificity for chronic primary insomnia.
  • Existing sleep physiology data suggests potential pathophysiological mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and examine four candidate pathophysiological mechanisms of primary insomnia.
  • To guide future research by developing physiological models of insomnia.
  • To differentiate primary insomnia from more heterogeneous comorbid insomnias.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on sleep-wake regulation and insomnia pathophysiology.

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Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice
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A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice

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A Rat Model of Central Fatigue Using a Modified Multiple Platform Method

Published on: August 14, 2018

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08:45

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  • Examination of four proposed candidate mechanisms: sleep homeostat disruption, circadian clock disruption, intrinsic sleep state system disruption, and extrinsic system hyperactivity.
  • Analysis of descriptive data on primary insomnia.

    • Main Results:

    • Four broad candidate areas for insomnia pathophysiology were identified: sleep homeostat, circadian clock, intrinsic sleep systems, and extrinsic systems.
    • Descriptive data for primary insomnia suggests a potential role for dysfunctional extrinsic stress-response systems.
    • Direct experimental studies testing these models are not yet available.

    Conclusions:

    • Dysfunctional extrinsic stress-response systems are favored as a likely contributor to primary chronic insomnia.
    • Further research is needed to directly test the proposed pathophysiological models.
    • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing targeted insomnia treatments.