19
AASM Membership Sections Newsletter
■
Issue #6
Peter Bernad, MD
Dr. Peter Bernad, MD, is the founder
of Neurology Services, Inc. located
in Washington, DC. He attended
medical school at McGill University
in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and
continued on to receive his MPH from
John Hopkins University in Baltimore,
MD. He is a full professor at George
Washington University School of Med-
icine and Health Sciences in Wash-
ington, DC. He’s won multiple awards
and is associated with the American
Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM),
American Board of Internal Medicine
(ABIM), American Board of Psychiatry
and Neurology (ABPN) and the EEG
and Clinical Neuroscience Society
(ECNS). This is his first year serving
on the Narcolepsy Section Steering
Committee.
Rosemarie Rohatgi, DMD
Dr. Rosemarie Rohatgi, DMD, is Pres-
ident of San Diego Sleep Therapy in
San Diego, CA and has been practic-
ing medicine for 17 years. She dedi-
cates her entire practice to dental sleep
medicine and was recognized in 2013
by San Diego Magazine as one of the
city’s leading woman Entrepreneurs.
Dr. Rohatgi attended the University of
Oregon on a full academic scholarship
and graduated with honors in Chem-
istry. She received her Doctorate in
Medical Dentistry from Oregon Health
Sciences University with honors in
Endodontics and Removable Prost-
hodontics. An active member of the
AASM and the AADSM, Dr. Rohatgi is
serving her first year on the Narco-
lepsy Section Steering Committee
after having previously served on the
American Student Dental Association
as a consultant on National Dental
Examinations and on the American
Dental Association as Commissioner
on National Dental Examinations.
Dr. Rohatgi has been nominated for
the past two consecutive years as
“Woman of the Year” by San Diego
Magazine and is also a member of the
California Sleep Society, the Academy
of General Dentistry, the American
Dental Association, the California
Dental Association and the San Diego
County Dental Society. ■
There is improved SE (sleep efficiency)
and sTST (subjective total sleep time).
Basically, patients fell asleep faster and
longer.
Suvorexant has a certain OR(1)R and
OR(2)R receptor potency and occupancy
threshold; this has an influence upon the
perturbation of sleep architecture (REM
vs. NREM). There is an increase in both
REM and NREM on PSG. Studies bear out
no disruption in the EEG power spectral
density profile from this orexin receptor
antagonist.
From the standpoint of a safety profile,
there are no current contraindications.
Included below are certain references
regarding this new addition to our
armamentarium in partial management of
insomnia. This opens up a new era in sleep
medicine.
References:
1. Bennett T, Bray D, Neville M. Suvorexant,
a Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonist for
the Management of Insomnia. P & T.
April 2014; 39(4): 264-266.
2. Citrome L. Suvorexant for insomnia;
a systematic review of the efficacy and
safety profile for this newly approved
hypnotic. Int j Clin Prac. 2014 Sep18. Doi:
10.1111/ijcp. 12568.
3. Etori K, Saito Y, Tsujino N. Effects of
a newly developed potent orexin-2
receptor-selective antagonist, compound
1 m, on sleep/wakefulness states in mice.
Frontiers in Neuroscience Jan 2014 Vol 8
Art 8 pp 1-13.
4. Herring W, Snyder E, Budd K. Orexin
receptor antagonism for treatment
of insomnia: a randomized clinical
trial of suvorexant. Neurology 2012
Dec 4;79(23):2265-74 doi: 10. 1212/
WNL.0b013e31827688ee.
5. Hoyer D, Jacobson L. Orexin in sleep,
addiction and more: is the perfect
insomnia drug at hand ? Neuropeptides.
2013 Dec;47(6):477-88. doi: 10. 1016/j.
npep.2013. 10. 009.
6. Khoo S, Brown R. Orexin/hypocretin
based pharmacotherapies for the
treatment of addiction: DORA or SORA
? CNS Drugs. 2014 August;28(8):713-30.
doi: 10. 1007/s40263-014-0179-x.
7. Ma J, Svetnik V, Snyder E.
Electroencephalographic power spectral
density profile of the orexin receptor
antagonist suvorexant in patients with
primary insomnia and healthy subjects.
Sleep 2014 Oct 1;37(10). pii: sp-00716-13.
8. Merlo P, Melotto S. Orexin 1 receptor
antagonists in compulsive behavior and
anxiety: possible therapeutic use. Front
Neurosci. 2014 Feb 13;8:26. doi: 10.3389/
fnins.2014.00026.
9. Michelson D, nyder E, Paradis E. Safety
and efficacy of suvorexant during
1-year treatment of insomnia. Lancet
Neurology. 2014 May;13(5):461-71. doi:
10. 1016/S1474-4422(14)70053-5.
10. Mied M, Sakura T. Orexin (hypocretin)
receptor agonists and antagonists for
treatment of sleep disorders. Rationale
for development and current status.
CNS Drugs 2013 Feb;27(2):83-90. doi:
10. 1007/s40263-012-0036-8.
11. Winrow C, Renger J. Discovery and
development of orexin receptor
antagonists as therapeutics for insomnia.
Br J Pharmacol 2014 Jan;17(2):283-93.
doi: 10.1111/bph. 12261.
12. Yang L. Suvorexant: First Global
Approval. Drugs 2014 Sep 17. PMID:
25227290
13. US FDA OND/CDER Farkas R.
Division of Neurology Products:
Suvorexant Safety and Efficacy.
