Drug ends tiredness (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Drug ends tiredness

A new drug that can reverse the effects of tiredness in the brain has been discovered by US scientists. Research in monkeys suggests the drug can temporarily boost mental performance by targeting chemical receptors.

Scientists hope the drug could prove invaluable to shift workers such as doctors and soldiers.

Brain scans on the monekeys deprived of sleep for up to 36 hours the equivalent of 72 hours for humans showed the drug reversed most changes in brain activity patterns triggered by a lack of sleep.

Unlike stimulants such as caffeine, scientists claim it does not make subjects hyperactive or prevent them from sleeping once they have finished working.