Cytokine Involvement in the Regulation of Sleep

Sleep can clearly be modulated by exogenous administration of cytokines, and is also likely to be regulated, in part, by endogenous cytokines. The synthesis of small peptide fragments from cytokines and the development of specific receptor antagonists and antibodies provide promising new tools with which to further examine the mechanisms reponsibile for cytokine-induced changes in vigilance. Although the mechanisms and sites of action mediating these somnogenic properties are not yet fully elucidated, the somnogenic responses to microbial challenge may represent amplifications of normal, physiological processes.