The latest scientific studies and breakthroughs in sleep medicine and neuroscience.
28 articlesNew research published in Neuropsychopharmacology reveals that caffeine selectively restores social memory circuits in the hippocampus disrupted by sleep deprivation, rather than broadly boosting alertness.
The FDA has granted priority review to oveporexton, a first-in-class orexin receptor agonist for narcolepsy type 1. Phase 3 trials showed the drug restored normal wakefulness in 85% of participants and reduced cataplexy attacks by more than 80%, with an approval decision expected in the third quarter of 2026.
A new study using Framingham Heart Study data found that a brain health score derived from a single night of sleep brain-wave recordings at midlife predicted cognitive performance an average of 12.6 years later.
A preclinical study presented at the AACR Annual Meeting found that chronic sleep deprivation altered gut microbiota composition in mice, worsening colorectal cancer progression and reducing the effectiveness of 5-FU chemotherapy — and that these effects transferred to healthy animals via microbiota transplant alone.
Eli Lilly's agreement to acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals for up to $7.8 billion marks the largest deal yet in the race to develop orexin agonists — a new class of drugs that could replace or supplement current narcolepsy treatments by restoring the brain's natural wakefulness signals.
Johns Hopkins researchers found that older adults with stronger, more consistent daily rest-activity rhythms had larger memory-related brain regions and slower atrophy over time, with effects most pronounced in adults over 75.
A randomized crossover trial published in Nature Communications provides the first direct human evidence that the brain's glymphatic system clears Alzheimer's-linked proteins during sleep — and that one night of sleep deprivation measurably impairs the process.
A new study from Oregon Health & Science University found that regularly getting less than seven hours of sleep is more strongly associated with shorter lifespan than poor diet, lack of exercise or social isolation.
