LEVENTE KAPAS

Levente Kapas Sleep Physiology
Department of Biological Sciences Fordham University 441 East Fordham Road Bronx, NY 10458

Phone: 718-817-3891 Fax: 718-817-3645
kapas@fordham.edu

Research Interests

The research in our laboratory is focused on the molecular mechanisms of sleep regulation. Currently, there are two major projects. The first addresses the role of nitric oxide in homeostatic sleep regulation. Homeostatic sleep regulation is a mechanism that maintains the amount of sleep relatively constant from day to day. That is, if one loses sleep one night, the next day he/she will be more sleepy and, if conditions allow, will actually sleep more, making up for the loss. Nitric oxide is a neurotransmitter in the brain. We study what role nitric oxide plays in the function of brain mechanisms that help pay off sleep debt. The second project addresses the role of gastrointestinal hormones in sleep regulation. After a meal, various hormones are released by the intestines. Our results indicate that several of these hormones induce sleep. Somnogenic gastrointestinal hormones form a regulatory network and, acting together, may modulate vigilance after eating. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of sleep regulation will help us develop new strategies or drugs to treat insomnia in people whose sleep is disturbed at night or increase alertness in those who are excessively sleepy during the day.

Publications

Ribeiro, A.C., Gilligan, J. and Kapás, L. (1998). Inhibition of nitric oxide suppresses homeostatic sleep responses to sleep deprivation in rats. J. Sleep Res. 7 (Suppl. 2): 224.

Magee, E.A., Ribeiro, A.C. and Kapás, L. (1998). Inhibition of guanylyl cyclase increases non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) and EEG slow-wave activity in rats. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr., Vol. 24., Part 1, p. 693.

Ribeiro, A.C. and Kapás, L. (1998). 8-bromo-cGMP suppresses non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) in rats. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr., Vol. 24., Part 1, p. 693.

Shemyakin, A. and Kapás, L. (1999). Starvation suppresses NREMS and EEG slow-wave activity in rats. Sleep 22, Suppl. 1, S247.

Magee, E.A., Ribeiro, A.C. and Kapás, L. (1999). Inhibition of cyclic GMP formation enhances NREMS and EEG slow-wave activity in rats. Sleep 22, Suppl. 1, S42.

Ribeiro, A. C. and Kapás, L. 8-Bromo-cGMP suppresses non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) in rats. Sleep 22, Suppl. 1, S233.

Samaniego, A., Ribeiro, A.C. and Kapás, L. (1999). The effects of "social interactions" on the sleep of male rats. Sleep 22, Suppl. 1, S36.

Ribeiro, A.C. and Kapás, L. (1999). Nitric oxide in the preoptic region modulates sleep. Sleep Res. Online 2 (Suppl. 1):75.