How sleep and the brain's orexin system affect recovery while on buprenorphine
Official title: A mechanistic study of the role of the orexin system and insomnia within a buprenorphine opioid use disorder treatment sample
Funded at Virginia Commonwealth University · NIH-11371168 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether targeting the brain's orexin system can improve sleep and lower relapse risk for people taking buprenorphine for opioid use disorder.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Commonwealth University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richmond, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2025 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $465,669 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA061265-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11371168 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults receiving buprenorphine for opioid use disorder who report insomnia or sleep disturbances and can attend research visits at the study site.
✕Less likely to help
People not taking buprenorphine, without sleep problems, or unable to attend in-person assessments are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you join, the team will study people who are taking buprenorphine and experiencing insomnia or sleep problems. They will collect sleep reports and monitoring, measure brain function related to reward and attention, and take biological measures related to the orexin system. The study will look at how insomnia and orexin activity relate to ongoing overdose and relapse risk. The team will also explore whether modifying orexin-related activity could point to new add-on treatments to support recovery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that improve sleep and reduce relapse or overdose risk for people on buprenorphine.
How similar studies have gone: Animal studies and some early human work in other conditions suggest orexin affects sleep and reward systems, but this approach has not been tested in people on buprenorphine for OUD.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Martin, Caitlin Eileen — Virginia Commonwealth University
- Study coordinator: Martin, Caitlin Eileen
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how the brain’s orexin system links sleep, mood, and opioid use disorder
Scientists will study how the orexin system in the brain relates to insomnia and relapse risk in adults with opioid use disorder who are on buprenorphine treatment.
-
Sleep therapy tailored for adults in opioid treatment
A tailored cognitive-behavioral sleep program aims to help adults with opioid use disorder and insomnia sleep better and stay in medication treatment.
-
Suvorexant to improve sleep in people receiving treatment for opioid use disorder
People on medications for opioid use disorder who have insomnia will be given suvorexant or a placebo to see if it helps their sleep, cravings, and withdrawal symptoms.
-
Connecting Sleep and Opioid Use Disorder through Brain Chemistry
This project looks at how a brain system called orexin connects sleep problems and opioid use disorder, hoping to find new ways to help people.
-
Testing a medication to improve sleep in people with opioid use disorder
This study is looking at whether the sleep medication suvorexant can help people with opioid use disorder who are in long-term treatment by improving their sleep and possibly easing cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
-
Improving sleep treatment for people with opioid use disorder
This study is looking at a special type of therapy to help adults with opioid use disorder who also have trouble sleeping, aiming to make sure the treatment works well for everyone and supports their recovery.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.