Sleep and Dreams

Some Light Medicine (December 08, 2006)
A new device will enable researchers to gauge the effects of everyday lighting on circadian rhythms and health.

People's Internal Body Clocks Set By Sun In Country, By Social Cues In Cities (January 23, 2007)
Rural residents have their body clocks closely attuned to the true time, based on the sun's position, while urbanites' internal clocks are set more by social cues, based on studies of people across a single time zone.

Drug Straightens Out Jetlagged Hamsters (May 22, 2007)
Hamsters suffering from the laboratory version of jetlag get back to normal faster when given E.D. drugs.

Multiple Studies Confirm Importance of Good Sleep (June 14, 2007)
Studies presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies show that sleep is vital for attention, academic performance and even free-throw shooting. Kevin Begos reports.

Drug That Mimics Narcolepsy Effect Could Help Insomniacs (January 31, 2007)
Low levels of orexin seem to be what puts narcoleptics to sleep—preliminary results show some promise for a sleep-inducing drug for insomniacs that works by blocking orexin.

Naps Improve Memory of New Tasks (January 11, 2008)
A 90-minute nap improved the ability of volunteers to remember a sequence of finger movements better than non-snoozers. —Cynthia Graber reports.

Kids and Adults Share Nightmares (January 8, 2008)
Children who are more "difficult" and who have more behavior issues also have more nightmares. Which makes them like adults, who also express emotional issues as bad dreams. Cynthia Graber reports.

Rest In Peace To Stay Alive (November 16, 2006)
Mice whose sleep cycles were disrupted as if they were jet-lagged died younger than those allowed to snooze in peace.

Rest Assured: The Brain Practices the Day's Lessons as We Sleep (August 5, 2008)
Studies show we may be doing a lot more than just resting while we sleep. In fact the brain is hard at work, consolidating, sifting and moving the information we acquired during the day. Christie Nicholson reports

Drugs and Consciousness

Drunk Bats Prefer Sobering Sugar (April 03, 2007)
Accidentally inebriated Egyptian fruit bats prefer the type of sugar, fructose, that helps them detox faster.

Heavy Drinking Can Affect Ability To Get Jokes (March 14, 2007)
A study of mental functioning in alcoholic patients found that they performed less well than a control group in choosing the correct punchline for a joke.

Pickled Brains Suggest Post-Trauma Treatment (December 27, 2006)
Alcohol, which puts many people in the emergency room, also appears to protect the brain from the trauma it helps to cause.

Sex, Drugs and Chocolate Cake (October 20, 2006)
The same brain chemicals involved in the pleasure gotten from eating are triggered by sex and drugs.

Alcoholism and Genetics; and Why Aren't the Pioneer Spacecraft Where They Should Be? (March 28, 2007)
In this episode, psychiatric geneticist Laura Jean Bierut talks about her article in the April Scientific American about the influence of genes on alcoholism. And Scientific American editor George Musser discusses the March 26th Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate at the American Museum of Natural History that dealt with the discrepency between the calculated and actual positions of the Pioneer spacecraft. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news.

Tobacco To The Drawing Board (November 01, 2006)
Two touted antismoking measures—media campaigns aimed at parents and ventilation systems to protect nonsmokers in restaurants—may actually increase exposure to smoke.