Could a Sleeping Pill 'Wake Up' Coma Patients?

For many of us, it's a quick and easy way to help us fall asleep. But for a few patients with brain damage, taking zolpidem -- a drug commonly known by the brand name Ambien -- may lead to increased alertness, as well as improved language and motor skills, French researchers report. A study, which appears in the current issue of Annals of Neurology, involved only a single patient: a woman who had suffered brain injury when a suicide attempt led to oxygen being cut off to her brain. This...Full Story