This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.The purpose of this study is to determine how the muscles of the upper airway, the upper airway itself, and the lung respond to low doses of the sedative drug pentobarbital. Pentobarbital is approved by the FDA for sale as a medication against 'insomnia' (patient's dissatisfaction with the quality of sleep). Pentobarbital has been used frequently and safely for decades in patients with insomnia, and recent findings suggest that this drug may also be useful for treatment of patients with a disease called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Patients with OSA are not able to breathe normally during sleep, resulting in severe daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Typically, the muscles that hold open the upper airway, relax in patients with OSA while falling asleep resuting in an upper airway collapse. This causes the patients to stop breathing and to wake up some seconds later. It has been shown that this brief awakening at the end of an obstructive sleep apnea episode makes it more likely to develop breathing problems in the next several breaths. Pentobarbital may be useful for treatment of OSA, because this drug makes patients wake up less easily and may also improve the function of the muscles that open the airway.
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