[Soul Seeker]

We'll see.

If something sounds too good to be true?

Just be cautious.

I'd love to take this and run with it for obvious reasons that still depress me....but I'd rather not be like the embryonic stem cell advocates that latched onto the miracle breakthrough that turned out to be a sham a few weeks ago.

[Old_Mil]

I'd love to take this and run with it for obvious reasons that still depress me....but I'd rather not be like the embryonic stem cell advocates that latched onto the miracle breakthrough that turned out to be a sham a few weeks ago.

No one yet knows exactly how a sleeping pill could wake up the seemingly dead brain cells, but Nel and Clauss have a hypothesis. After the brain has suffered severe trauma, a chemical known as Gaba (gamma amino butyric acid) closes down brain functions in order to conserve energy and help cells survive. However, in such a long-term dormant state, the receptors in the brain cells that respond to Gaba become hypersensitive, and as Gaba is a depressant, it causes a persistent vegetative state. "It is thought that during this process the receptors are in some way changed or deformed so that they respond to zolpidem differently from normal receptors, thus breaking the hold of Gaba. This could mean that instead of sending patients to sleep as usual, it makes dormant areas of the brain function again and some comatose patients wake up."

No guarantees, but there appears to be a scientific hypothesis as to the mechanism of action.

[Mr. Silverback]

I'd love to take this and run with it for obvious reasons that still depress me....but I'd rather not be like the embryonic stem cell advocates that latched onto the miracle breakthrough that turned out to be a sham a few weeks ago.

Excellent point.