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Article: Study links primary insomnia to a neurochemical abnormality in young and middle-aged adults.
- Article from:
- Women's Health Weekly
- Article date:
- November 20, 2008
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A study in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Sleep 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 (see also American Academy of Sleep Medicine).
Results indicate that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the most common inhibitory transmitter in the brain, is reduced by nearly 30 percent in individuals who have been suffering 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 ...