This volume highlights the recent advances in the understanding of the endocannabinoid system and the likely benefit from the therapeutic effects of cannabinoid treatment in a variety of health issues. Archeological evidence has shown that Cannabis has a long history of use for multiple purposes, including the treatment of medical conditions. The primary active constituent of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol ( 9-THC), causes euphoria, enhancement of sensory perception, tachycardia, antinociception, difficulties in concentration and impairment of memory, among other effects. Despite these undesirable effects, signaling is mostly inhibitory and suggests a putative role for cannabinoids as therapeutic agents by managing several diseases where inhibition of neurotransmitter release would be beneficial. The themes of this book have been edited and written by world-leaders in the field, The contents of the volume aims at readers from a range of academic and professional disciplines, such as biomedicine, several areas of biology, neurology, clinical medicine and pharmacy.

This book offers a compilation of papers on the role of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) in sleep, sleep disorders and neuroendocrine functions. Leading experts in sleep medicine, psychiatry and neuroendocrinology provide a broad perspective on the field, from the anatomical structure and physiology of the MCH system to the connection with other systems influencing sleep and diseases like anxiety and depression. The potential of MCHR-1 antagonists as anxiolytic/antidepressant drugs is also reviewed. The book will represent an interdisciplinary guide for sleep disorder specialists, sleep researchers, psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and behavioral sleep medicine specialists.

This book offers a comprehensive but highly readable compilation of papers on the role of dopamine in sleep and sleep disorders. Leading experts in sleep medicine, psychiatry and neuroendocrinology provide a broad perspective on the field, from established theories to the latest research advances. Accordingly, it represents an interdisciplinary, cutting-edge guide for sleep disorder specialists, sleep researchers, psychiatrists, neurologists, pulmonologists, psychologists, and behavioral sleep medicine specialists.

Foreword Barry Jacobs once memorably commented that the problem in understanding the role of serotonin in the brain was that it was implicated in virtually eve- thing but responsible for nothing 1]. Serotonin (5-HT) is defnitely implicated in the regulation of sleep but what does it do? Once seen as a sleep-promoting molecule, Jacob s own work, lucidly described in this volume, radically changed our view. In fact, serotonin neurons are most active during waking; their - tivity diminishes with sleep onset and disappears during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Serotonin, therefore, is intimately linked to the sleep-wake cycle, but what is its role, what mechanisms are involved and what are the impli- tions for sleep medicine and psychiatry? Making progress with these diffcult questions requires a translational approach, which is a research paradigm where both laboratory and clinical neuroscience inform and guide each other with the ultimate aim of improving understanding and treatment of medical conditions. This volume is a superb example of translational research, where leading basic and clinical scientists - tegrate molecular, neuropharmacological and systems approaches to illuminate the reciprocal interactions of serotonin neurons and the mechanisms involved in sleep and circadian regulation. Serotonin is an ancient chemical mediator preserved through at least 500 m- lion years of evolution. In invertebrate animals such as mollusks and leeches, 5-HT cells are distributed throughout the nervous system among the various ganglia."

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the main neurotransmitter regulating sleep. The majority of drugs presently in use for the treatment of sleep disorders act by enhancing GABAergic neuronal inhibition. The GABA system is, therefore, of prime clinical relevance for the therapy of insomnia.

The focus of this volume is on the neuropsychopharmacology and the clinical impact of the GABA system in regulating sleep and wakefulness. It presents molecular, neuropharmacological, systems-biological and clinical approaches to the understanding of the mechanism of action of GABA and GABAergic drugs. It also explores the role of GABA in the basic drives that affect sleep, and the influences that adapt sleep and wakefulness to external events.

Research on cannabis and sleep is emerging with promising results. This book offers current and comprehensive knowledge on cannabinoid research results in connection with sleep. The volume covers aspects of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, the pharmacology of cannabinoids, neurobiology and pharmacology of sleep and wakefulness, and the benefits and side effects of cannabis on the central nervous system. It further discusses the putative therapeutical properties of cannabinoids and endocannabinoids and their potential for the treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, REM sleep behavior disorder, and restless legs syndrome. The book is written by medical and scientific experts in this field and intended for researchers from a range of disciplines such as biomedicine, biology, neurosciences, clinical medicine, neurology, and pharmacology.

This volume is intended for neuropharmacologists, psychopharmacologists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, sleep researchers, translational neuroscience researchers, and other basic researchers and clinical scientists interested in an interdisciplinary approach to sleep medicine. The level of the book is aiming at CNS researchers, drug development scientists, basic and clinical sleep researchers, as well as senior medical students and fellows in psychiatry and neurology. Orexin and Sleep provides a unique resource, giving a comprehensive and highly readable summary of the basic concepts in orexin biology and pharmacology along with clinical applications in sleep medicine in general, and narcolepsy in particular.

Research on cannabis and sleep is emerging with promising results. This book offers current and comprehensive knowledge on cannabinoid research results in connection with sleep. The volume covers aspects of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, the pharmacology of cannabinoids, neurobiology and pharmacology of sleep and wakefulness, and the benefits and side effects of cannabis on the central nervous system. It further discusses the putative therapeutical properties of cannabinoids and endocannabinoids and their potential for the treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, REM sleep behavior disorder, and restless legs syndrome. The book is written by medical and scientific experts in this field and intended for researchers from a range of disciplines such as biomedicine, biology, neurosciences, clinical medicine, neurology, and pharmacology.

This volume highlights the recent advances in the understanding of the endocannabinoid system and the likely benefit from the therapeutic effects of cannabinoid treatment in a variety of health issues. Archeological evidence has shown that Cannabis has a long history of use for multiple purposes, including the treatment of medical conditions. The primary active constituent of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol ( 9-THC), causes euphoria, enhancement of sensory perception, tachycardia, antinociception, difficulties in concentration and impairment of memory, among other effects. Despite these undesirable effects, signaling is mostly inhibitory and suggests a putative role for cannabinoids as therapeutic agents by managing several diseases where inhibition of neurotransmitter release would be beneficial. The themes of this book have been edited and written by world-leaders in the field, The contents of the volume aims at readers from a range of academic and professional disciplines, such as biomedicine, several areas of biology, neurology, clinical medicine and pharmacy.

This book offers a compilation of papers on the role of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) in sleep, sleep disorders and neuroendocrine functions. Leading experts in sleep medicine, psychiatry and neuroendocrinology provide a broad perspective on the field, from the anatomical structure and physiology of the MCH system to the connection with other systems influencing sleep and diseases like anxiety and depression. The potential of MCHR-1 antagonists as anxiolytic/antidepressant drugs is also reviewed. The book will represent an interdisciplinary guide for sleep disorder specialists, sleep researchers, psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and behavioral sleep medicine specialists.

This book offers a comprehensive but highly readable compilation of papers on the role of dopamine in sleep and sleep disorders. Leading experts in sleep medicine, psychiatry and neuroendocrinology provide a broad perspective on the field, from established theories to the latest research advances. Accordingly, it represents an interdisciplinary, cutting-edge guide for sleep disorder specialists, sleep researchers, psychiatrists, neurologists, pulmonologists, psychologists, and behavioral sleep medicine specialists.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the main neurotransmitter regulating sleep. The majority of drugs presently in use for the treatment of sleep disorders act by enhancing GABAergic neuronal inhibition. The GABA system is, therefore, of prime clinical relevance for the therapy of insomnia. The focus of this volume is on the neuropsychopharmacology and the clinical impact of the GABA system in regulating sleep and wakefulness. It presents molecular, neuropharmacological, systems-biological and clinical approaches to the understanding of the mechanism of action of GABA and GABAergic drugs. It also explores the role of GABA in the basic drives that affect sleep, and the influences that adapt sleep and wakefulness to external events.

This volume is intended for neuropharmacologists, psychopharmacologists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, sleep researchers, translational neuroscience researchers, and other basic researchers and clinical scientists interested in an interdisciplinary approach to sleep medicine. The level of the book is aiming at CNS researchers, drug development scientists, basic and clinical sleep researchers, as well as senior medical students and fellows in psychiatry and neurology. Orexin and Sleep provides a unique resource, giving a comprehensive and highly readable summary of the basic concepts in orexin biology and pharmacology along with clinical applications in sleep medicine in general, and narcolepsy in particular.

Sleep disorders cause considerable morbidity and distress in the aging population. By highlighting the clinical diagnosis and management of sleep disorders, this volume provides a valuable resource for all those involved in health care of older individuals. The changes in sleep patterns that occur during normal aging are described, followed by authoritative chapters on the presentation of various age-related sleep disorders. The book deals with the range of therapeutic measures available for managing these disorders and gives insight to potential areas of research that have emerged in the last few years, such as the study of circadian rhythms in later life, sleep patterns associated with co-morbidities and the use of quality-of-life measurement tools to determine sleep quality as we age. This volume is relevant to sleep disorders specialists, psychiatrists, geriatricians and gerontologists, and any professionals and researchers working in the interdisciplinary areas of sleep and aging.