Role of orexin and prostaglandin E(2) in activating histaminergic neurotransmission.

Although the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of sleep have been extensively studied in the past, relatively little attention has been paid to the regulatory mechanisms involved in the maintenance and control of wakefulness until today. In this article, recent developments leading to our better understanding of the arousal system will be reviewed with the main emphasis on three messengers: histamine, prostaglandin E(2) and orexin. The results reported herein may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of sleep-wake regulation and may lead to the development of new anti-sleep drugs as well as new hypnotic agents.
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