Friday, 19 October 2007

If it's any consolation, fish get insomnia too

From Scientific American:

Fish
Fish might not have eyelids, but they do sleep, and some suffer from
insomnia, scientists reported on Monday. California scientists studying
sleep disorders in humans found that some zebrafish, a common aquarium
pet, have a mutant gene that disrupts their sleep patterns in a way
similar to insomnia in humans. Zebrafish with the mutant gene slept 30
percent less than fish without the mutation. When they finally drifted
off they remained asleep half as long as the normal fish, the
researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine said.

The researchers, led by Emmanuel Mignot, said they would look for fish that have a mutation that causes them to oversleep or never sleep
in the hope of discovering if sleep-regulating molecules and brain networks developed through evolution.

Spare a thought for the zebrafish when you're next lying awake fretting about the price of chain oil, spark plugs, air filters.

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