U.S. researchers say they’ve found the same chemical that is targeted by the drug Viagra also helps our brains boot up in the morning.
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine scientists say their discovery might lead to a better understanding of major brain disorders.
We’ve learned new information about how our brains process sensory information, which may help increase our understanding of what goes awry in conditions such as schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and epilepsy, said Associate Professor Dwayne Godwin, senior author of the study.
The researchers’ goal was to better understand the role of nitric oxide — a small gaseous molecule. The drug Viagra acts by slowing the breakdown of nitric oxide in the penis, leading to increased blood flow. The heart drug nitroglycerin is converted to nitric oxide by the body and widens blood vessels, easing the pain of angina.
Just as a computer must boot up its operating system before running involved applications … nitric oxide released as the brain wakes up may set the stage for more complex brain operations by enhancing information at the earliest processing steps, said Godwin.
The study appears on-line in the journal Neuroscience.
