The neurochemical basis of sleep mechanisms (onset and maintenance) is
still controversial although the phenomenon itself is known to be med
iated by more than a single molecule. The list of suggested endogenous
sleep substances is rather long, and there is no single 'sleep center
' identified in the brain. The role of fatty acids, and essential fatt
y acids in particular, has been ignored in sleep research. This review
proposes an integration of the current knowledge about the effects of
fatty acids in sleep neurochemistry, wherein fatty acids are seen to
exert a direct effect on neuronal membrane structure or indirectly on
the dynamics of biochemical compounds (complex lipids, prostaglandins,
neurotransmitters, amino acids, interleukins) necessary for the initi
ation and maintenance of sleep.