Jaime M. Monti – författare

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 (Δ9-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.

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.

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.