INFLUENCE OF PENTOBARBITAL ON UPPER AIRWAY RESISTANCE AND COLLABSIBILITY

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中的一个 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 本研究的目的是确定上呼吸道肌肉、上呼吸道本身和肺对低剂量镇静药物戊巴比妥的反应。 戊巴比妥被FDA批准作为治疗“失眠”（患者对睡眠质量的不满）的药物销售。 几十年来，戊巴比妥一直被频繁安全地用于失眠患者，最近的研究结果表明，这种药物也可能用于治疗患有阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）的患者。 患有OSA的患者在睡眠期间无法正常呼吸，导致严重的白天嗜睡，并增加患心血管疾病的风险。 通常情况下，OSA患者保持上呼吸道开放的肌肉在入睡时放松，导致上呼吸道塌陷。 这会导致患者停止呼吸，并在几秒钟后醒来。 研究表明，阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停发作结束时的短暂觉醒使其更有可能在接下来的几次呼吸中出现呼吸问题。 戊巴比妥可用于治疗阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停，因为这种药物使患者不容易醒来，还可改善打开气道的肌肉的功能。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for 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.