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Published On May 3, 2009
CLINICAL RESEARCH
To Sleep, Perchance to Walk
With insomnia drugs yielding bizarre side effects, sleepwalking has wandered back into public consciousness.
5:1
Act and scene of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in which Lady Macbeth is spied sleepwalking
6
Number of diagnostic criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association for sleepwalking disorder
1–7
Approximate percentage of adults who experience a sleepwalking episode, compared with 0.5% who suffer from sleepwalking disorder
10
Number of times more likely that sleepwalking will occur in close relatives of sleepwalkers than in the general public, suggesting a genetic component
6.9
Percentage of sleepwalking reported for girls; 5.7% for boys
15
Age by which occasional episodes of sleepwalking usually disappear without treatment
70
Approximate number of cases of homicidal somnambulism, or sleepwalk murder, reported in history
1846
Year in which the lawyer of Albert Tirrell, accused of murder, mounted a sleepwalking defense
13
Number of sleep medications, including Ambien and Lunesta, for which the Food and Drug Administration has requested added warning language about “complex sleep-related behavioral side effects,” such as driving, making phone calls, preparing and eating food, and having sex while asleep
Dispatches
COVID-19 On Purpose One sure-fire way to test vaccines and treatments is to deliberately infect volunteers. Once unthinkable, the idea is quickly gaining steam.
Flash Radiotherapy Is (Finally) on the Way Since the 1960s, the dream of ultra-fast high dose radiation promised better cancer treatment with fewer side effects. Will the reality measure up?
A Pandemic of Sitting Around? More time on the couch—the byproduct of stay-at-home measures—carries its own danger. The “exercise sprint” and other workarounds may save us.
The Autoimmune Whodunnit Autoimmune diseases are on the rise. The hunt is on to find their causes—including bacteria that may trigger the body to pick a fight with itself.
How Do You Measure Mindfulness? A calmer brain can lead to a healthier body. Researchers are beginning to pinpoint just where those benefits are coming from.
A Corner Turned for Crohn’s Disease? A milestone vaccine will soon move forward in clinical trials. But does its target—the MAP bacterium—actually play a role in the condition?
The New Vaccines: A Visual Primer More than a hundred COVID-19 vaccines are in development, and many use new technologies never tried on a grand scale. Here’s how each is supposed to work.
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