ABSTRACT
408One of the classic puzzles in psychopharmacology is how diverse substances from such a wide range of pharmacologic classes can have the relatively similar effect of inducing sleep. In this chapter, I will suggest that a common element for a variety of such compounds is that they interact with various moieties of the GAB AA-benzodiazepine receptor complex. In terms of neuroanatomic site(s) of action, microinjection studies indicate that the preoptic area of the anterior hypothalamus as well as brainstem structures including the dorsal raphe nuclei are sensitive to hypnotics, and it is hypothesized that such compounds act by altering function of these reciprocally innervated areas. I will propose that knowledge of the structure of the GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor complex can be used to develop other classes of agents, including analeptics and treatments for sleep-disordered breathing.
