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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Drug Discov Today Dis Models. 2011 Winter;8(4):129–137. doi: 10.1016/j.ddmod.2011.07.002

Figure 3. Neurobiological Model of Insomnia, Part 1.

Figure 3

This figure depicts an overview of the Neurobiological Model of Insomnia with regard to existing conceptualizations of sleep-wake regulation. Panel A presents a simplified model of the bi-stable “sleep switch” proposed by Saper and others. Panel B presents a model of insomnia based on the work of Cano et al., using a rat model of transient insomnia. In this conceptualization, the “sleep switch” is seen as unstable, with frequent transitions between sleep and wakefulness. Panel C presents a model of insomnia informed by the “local sleep” conceptualization, and consistent with our proposed model. In this model, different brain regions may simultaneously show sleep-like and wake-like activity. Refer to Figure 4 and the text for further details.