In Primary Insomnia, a Brain Low on GABA Can’t Shut Down, Night or Day

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In Primary Insomnia, a Brain Low on GABA Can’t Shut Down, Night or Day

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**The recognition that primary insomnia is associated with a specific

neurochemical deficiency helps validate the often misunderstood complaint of

insomnia.** (And likely the anecdotal sleep support benefits of supplemental

GABA.)

 

A research abstract* presented June 9 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual

Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, is the first

demonstration of a specific neurochemical abnormality in adults with primary

insomnia,

providing greater insight to the limited understanding of the condition's

pathology. (Primary insomnia is defined as **sleeplessness that cannot be

attributed to an existing medical, psychiatric, or environmental cause such

as drug abuse or medications.**)

 

Results indicate that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the most common

inhibitory transmitter in the brain, is reduced by nearly 30 percent in

individuals who suffer from primary insomnia for more than six months.

 

These findings suggest that primary insomnia is a manifestation of a

neurobiological state of hyperarousal, which is present during both waking and

sleep at physiological and cognitive levels.

 

According to principal investigator _Dr. John Winkelman_

(http://sleep.med.harvard.edu/people/faculty/234/John+W+Winkelman+MD+PhD) of

Brigham and

Women*s Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston, the recognition that

primary insomnia is associated with a specific neurochemical deficiency helps

validate the often misunderstood complaint of insomnia.

 

**Recognition that insomnia has manifestations in the brain may increase

the legitimacy of those who have insomnia and report substantial daytime

consequences,** he said.

 

**Insomnia is not just a phenomenon observed at night, but has daytime

consequences for energy, concentration and mood.**

 

The study included 16 non-medicated individuals (eight of whom were women)

with primary insomnia and 16 individuals (seven women) who were deemed

normal sleepers. Global brain GABA levels were measured in both groups.

primary insomnia was established through clinical interviews, sleep diary,

actigraphy use and polysomnograpy.

___

 

* Full text of the abstract (#0768) may be found _on page 284 of the SLEEP

conference Abstract Supplement_

(http://www.journalsleep.org/PDF/AbstractBook2009.pdf) - Title “Reduced

brain GABA in primary insomnia: preliminary

data from 4T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS),†Winkelman J,

et al.

 

Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine news release, Jun 9, 2009

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