Treatment with unpolished-rice-germ-derived gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) improves the subjective sleep quality and the objective sleep efficacy without severe adverse events reported a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Neurology. It is evident that the pharmacological treatment of insomnia often employs a benzodiazepine receptor agonist that affects gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic transmission. Moreover, these agonists increase the binding of GABA to GABAA receptors and enhance inhibitory signals to cell groups that promote arousal which in turn decrease sleep latency and increase sleep continuity.
However, the use of such agonists is often limited by the risks of overdose, tolerance, and addiction. Also, benzodiazepine receptor agonists frequently show adverse effects, such as daytime sedation, delirium, ataxia, etc. Therefore, safer substances are warranted for…
