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Beard B, Bohn A, Opoola M, Hwangbo DS. Con-DAM: Simultaneous measurement of food intake and sleep in Drosophila at the single fly resolution. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2024; 2024. [PMID: 39005561 PMCID: PMC11246551 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Sleep and feeding are conserved behaviors across many taxa of the animal kingdom and are essential for an organism's survival and fitness. Although Drosophila has been used to study these behaviors for decades, concurrent measurement of these two behaviors in the same flies on solid media has been a challenge. Here, we report Con-DAM, which enables simultaneous quantification of food intake and sleep/activity at the single fly resolution. Since Con-DAM integrates the Con-Ex (Consumption-Excretion) assay and the DAM (Drosophila Activity Monitor), two widely used tools to quantify food consumption and sleep/activity in flies into a single unit, we expect Con-DAM to serve as an easy method for various purposes that require quantifying food consumption and sleep/activity in the same individual flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanna Beard
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Abigail Bohn
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Mubaraq Opoola
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Dae-Sung Hwangbo
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
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2
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Norman H, Munson A, Cortese D, Koeck B, Killen SS. The interplay between sleep and ecophysiology, behaviour and responses to environmental change in fish. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247138. [PMID: 38860399 PMCID: PMC11213526 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Evidence of behavioural sleep has been observed in every animal species studied to date, but current knowledge of the behaviour, neurophysiology and ecophysiology associated with sleep is concentrated on mammals and birds. Fish are a hugely diverse group that can offer novel insights into a variety of sleep-related behaviours across environments, but the ecophysiological relevance of sleep in fish has been largely overlooked. Here, we systematically reviewed the literature to assess the current breadth of knowledge on fish sleep, and surveyed the diverse physiological effects and behaviours associated with sleep. We also discuss possible ways in which unstudied external factors may alter sleep behaviours. For example, predation risk may alter sleep patterns, as has been shown in mammalian, avian and reptilian species. Other environmental factors - such as water temperature and oxygen availability - have the potential to alter sleep patterns in fish differently than for terrestrial endotherms. Understanding the ecological influences on sleep in fish is vital, as sleep deprivation has the potential to affect waking behaviour and fitness owing to cognitive and physiological impairments, possibly affecting ecological phenomena and sensitivity to environmental stressors in ways that have not been considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Norman
- School of Biodiversity, One Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Amelia Munson
- School of Biodiversity, One Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Daphne Cortese
- School of Biodiversity, One Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Barbara Koeck
- School of Biodiversity, One Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Shaun S. Killen
- School of Biodiversity, One Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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3
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Coulson RL, Mourrain P, Wang GX. The intersection of sleep and synaptic translation in synaptic plasticity deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders. J Comp Physiol B 2024; 194:253-263. [PMID: 38396062 PMCID: PMC11233386 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-023-01531-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders experience persistent sleep deficits, and there is increasing evidence that sleep dysregulation is an underlying cause, rather than merely an effect, of the synaptic and behavioral defects observed in these disorders. At the molecular level, dysregulation of the synaptic proteome is a common feature of neurodevelopmental disorders, though the mechanism connecting these molecular and behavioral phenotypes is an ongoing area of investigation. A role for eIF2α in shifting the local proteome in response to changes in the conditions at the synapse has emerged. Here, we discuss recent progress in characterizing the intersection of local synaptic translation and sleep and propose a reciprocal mechanism of dysregulation in the development of synaptic plasticity defects in neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle L Coulson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Philippe Mourrain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- INSERM 1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Gordon X Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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4
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Wilson DA, Sullivan RM, Smiley JF, Saito M, Raineki C. Developmental alcohol exposure is exhausting: Sleep and the enduring consequences of alcohol exposure during development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 158:105567. [PMID: 38309498 PMCID: PMC10923002 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading nongenetic cause of human intellectual impairment. The long-term impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure on health and well-being are diverse, including neuropathology leading to behavioral, cognitive, and emotional impairments. Additionally negative effects also occur on the physiological level, such as the endocrine, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Among these diverse impacts is sleep disruption. In this review, we describe how prenatal alcohol exposure affects sleep, and potential mechanisms of those effects. Furthermore, we outline the evidence that sleep disruption across the lifespan may be a mediator of some cognitive and behavioral impacts of developmental alcohol exposure, and thus may represent a promising target for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald A Wilson
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - John F Smiley
- Division of Neurochemistry, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mariko Saito
- Division of Neurochemistry, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charlis Raineki
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada; Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
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5
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Durkin J, Poe AR, Belfer SJ, Rodriguez A, Tang SH, Walker JA, Kayser MS. Neurofibromin 1 regulates early developmental sleep in Drosophila. Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms 2023; 15:100101. [PMID: 37593040 PMCID: PMC10428071 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbscr.2023.100101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep disturbances are common in neurodevelopmental disorders, but knowledge of molecular factors that govern sleep in young animals is lacking. Evidence across species, including Drosophila, suggests that juvenile sleep has distinct functions and regulatory mechanisms in comparison to sleep in maturity. In flies, manipulation of most known adult sleep regulatory genes is not associated with sleep phenotypes during early developmental (larval) stages. Here, we examine the role of the neurodevelopmental disorder-associated gene Neurofibromin 1 (Nf1) in sleep during numerous developmental periods. Mutations in Neurofibromin 1 (Nf1) are associated with sleep and circadian disorders in humans and adult flies. We find in flies that Nf1 acts to regulate sleep across the lifespan, beginning during larval stages. Nf1 is required in neurons for this function, as is signaling via the Alk pathway. These findings identify Nf1 as one of a small number of genes positioned to regulate sleep across developmental periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaclyn Durkin
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Amy R. Poe
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Samuel J. Belfer
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Anyara Rodriguez
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Si Hao Tang
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - James A. Walker
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Matthew S. Kayser
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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6
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Pittner K, Rasmussen J, Lim MM, Gilmore JH, Styner M, Entringer S, Wadhwa PD, Buss C. Sleep across the first year of life is prospectively associated with brain volume in 12-months old infants. Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbscr.2023.100091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
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7
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Kawano T, Kashiwagi M, Kanuka M, Chen CK, Yasugaki S, Hatori S, Miyazaki S, Tanaka K, Fujita H, Nakajima T, Yanagisawa M, Nakagawa Y, Hayashi Y. ER proteostasis regulators cell-non-autonomously control sleep. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112267. [PMID: 36924492 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep is regulated by peripheral tissues under fatigue. The molecular pathways in peripheral cells that trigger systemic sleep-related signals, however, are unclear. Here, a forward genetic screen in C. elegans identifies 3 genes that strongly affect sleep amount: sel-1, sel-11, and mars-1. sel-1 and sel-11 encode endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation components, whereas mars-1 encodes methionyl-tRNA synthetase. We find that these machineries function in non-neuronal tissues and that the ER unfolded protein response components inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1)/XBP1 and protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK)/eukaryotic initiation factor-2α (eIF2α)/activating transcription factor-4 (ATF4) participate in non-neuronal sleep regulation, partly by reducing global translation. Neuronal epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling is also required. Mouse studies suggest that this mechanism is conserved in mammals. Considering that prolonged wakefulness increases ER proteostasis stress in peripheral tissues, our results suggest that peripheral ER proteostasis factors control sleep homeostasis. Moreover, based on our results, peripheral tissues likely cope with ER stress not only by the well-established cell-autonomous mechanisms but also by promoting the individual's sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taizo Kawano
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan
| | - Mitsuaki Kashiwagi
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Mika Kanuka
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan
| | - Chung-Kuan Chen
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan; Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Shinnosuke Yasugaki
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan; Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Sena Hatori
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan; PhD Program in Humanics, School of Integrative and Global Majors, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Shinichi Miyazaki
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan; PhD Program in Humanics, School of Integrative and Global Majors, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Kaeko Tanaka
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Fujita
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
| | - Toshiro Nakajima
- Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan
| | - Masashi Yanagisawa
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan; Life Science Center, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yoshimi Nakagawa
- Department of Complex Biosystem Research, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Yu Hayashi
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan; Department of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
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8
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Nollet M, Franks NP, Wisden W. Understanding Sleep Regulation in Normal and Pathological Conditions, and Why It Matters. J Huntingtons Dis 2023; 12:105-119. [PMID: 37302038 PMCID: PMC10473105 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-230564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Sleep occupies a peculiar place in our lives and in science, being both eminently familiar and profoundly enigmatic. Historically, philosophers, scientists and artists questioned the meaning and purpose of sleep. If Shakespeare's verses from MacBeth depicting "Sleep that soothes away all our worries" and "relieves the weary laborer and heals hurt minds" perfectly epitomize the alleviating benefits of sleep, it is only during the last two decades that the growing understanding of the sophisticated sleep regulatory mechanisms allows us to glimpse putative biological functions of sleep. Sleep control brings into play various brain-wide processes occurring at the molecular, cellular, circuit, and system levels, some of them overlapping with a number of disease-signaling pathways. Pathogenic processes, including mood disorders (e.g., major depression) and neurodegenerative illnesses such Huntington's or Alzheimer's diseases, can therefore affect sleep-modulating networks which disrupt the sleep-wake architecture, whereas sleep disturbances may also trigger various brain disorders. In this review, we describe the mechanisms underlying sleep regulation and the main hypotheses drawn about its functions. Comprehending sleep physiological orchestration and functions could ultimately help deliver better treatments for people living with neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Nollet
- UK Dementia Research Institute and Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Nicholas P. Franks
- UK Dementia Research Institute and Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - William Wisden
- UK Dementia Research Institute and Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
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9
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Blumberg MS, Dooley JC, Tiriac A. Sleep, plasticity, and sensory neurodevelopment. Neuron 2022; 110:3230-3242. [PMID: 36084653 PMCID: PMC9588561 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A defining feature of early infancy is the immense neural plasticity that enables animals to develop a brain that is functionally integrated with a growing body. Early infancy is also defined as a period dominated by sleep. Here, we describe three conceptual frameworks that vary in terms of whether and how they incorporate sleep as a factor in the activity-dependent development of sensory and sensorimotor systems. The most widely accepted framework is exemplified by the visual system where retinal waves seemingly occur independent of sleep-wake states. An alternative framework is exemplified by the sensorimotor system where sensory feedback from sleep-specific movements activates the brain. We prefer a third framework that encompasses the first two but also captures the diverse ways in which sleep modulates activity-dependent development throughout the nervous system. Appreciation of the third framework will spur progress toward a more comprehensive and cohesive understanding of both typical and atypical neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark S Blumberg
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
| | - James C Dooley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
| | - Alexandre Tiriac
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
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10
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Gong NN, Luong HNB, Dang AH, Mainwaring B, Shields E, Schmeckpeper K, Bonasio R, Kayser MS. Intrinsic maturation of sleep output neurons regulates sleep ontogeny in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4025-4039.e3. [PMID: 35985328 PMCID: PMC9529826 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The maturation of sleep behavior across a lifespan (sleep ontogeny) is an evolutionarily conserved phenomenon. Mammalian studies have shown that in addition to increased sleep duration, early life sleep exhibits stark differences compared with mature sleep with regard to sleep states. How the intrinsic maturation of sleep output circuits contributes to sleep ontogeny is poorly understood. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster exhibits multifaceted changes to sleep from juvenile to mature adulthood. Here, we use a non-invasive probabilistic approach to investigate the changes in sleep architecture in juvenile and mature flies. Increased sleep in juvenile flies is driven primarily by a decreased probability of transitioning to wake and characterized by more time in deeper sleep states. Functional manipulations of sleep-promoting neurons in the dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) suggest that these neurons differentially regulate sleep in juvenile and mature flies. Transcriptomic analysis of dFB neurons at different ages and a subsequent RNAi screen implicate the genes involved in dFB sleep circuit maturation. These results reveal that the dynamic transcriptional states of sleep output neurons contribute to the changes in sleep across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naihua N Gong
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Hang Ngoc Bao Luong
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - An H Dang
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Benjamin Mainwaring
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Emily Shields
- Department of Urology and Institute of Neuropathology, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; Epigenetics Institute and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Karl Schmeckpeper
- Department of Computer Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Roberto Bonasio
- Epigenetics Institute and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Matthew S Kayser
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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11
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Lokhandwala S, Spencer RMC. Relations between sleep patterns early in life and brain development: A review. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 56:101130. [PMID: 35779333 PMCID: PMC9254005 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep supports healthy cognitive functioning in adults. Over the past decade, research has emerged advancing our understanding of sleep's role in cognition during development. Infancy and early childhood are marked by unique changes in sleep physiology and sleep patterns as children transition from biphasic to monophasic sleep. Growing evidence suggests that, during development, there are parallel changes in sleep and the brain and that sleep may modulate brain structure and activity and vice versa. In this review, we survey studies of sleep and brain development across childhood. By summarizing these findings, we provide a unique understanding of the importance of healthy sleep for healthy brain and cognitive development. Moreover, we discuss gaps in our understanding, which will inform future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanna Lokhandwala
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States; Developmental Sciences Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Rebecca M C Spencer
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States; Developmental Sciences Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States; Neuroscience & Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States; Institute for Applied Life Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.
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12
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Doldur-Balli F, Imamura T, Veatch OJ, Gong NN, Lim DC, Hart MP, Abel T, Kayser MS, Brodkin ES, Pack AI. Synaptic dysfunction connects autism spectrum disorder and sleep disturbances: A perspective from studies in model organisms. Sleep Med Rev 2022; 62:101595. [PMID: 35158305 PMCID: PMC9064929 DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2022.101595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Sleep disturbances (SD) accompany many neurodevelopmental disorders, suggesting SD is a transdiagnostic process that can account for behavioral deficits and influence underlying neuropathogenesis. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) comprises a complex set of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Diagnosis of ASD is based primarily on behavioral criteria, and there are no drugs that target core symptoms. Among the co-occurring conditions associated with ASD, SD are one of the most prevalent. SD often arises before the onset of other ASD symptoms. Sleep interventions improve not only sleep but also daytime behaviors in children with ASD. Here, we examine sleep phenotypes in multiple model systems relevant to ASD, e.g., mice, zebrafish, fruit flies and worms. Given the functions of sleep in promoting brain connectivity, neural plasticity, emotional regulation and social behavior, all of which are of critical importance in ASD pathogenesis, we propose that synaptic dysfunction is a major mechanism that connects ASD and SD. Common molecular targets in this interplay that are involved in synaptic function might be a novel avenue for therapy of individuals with ASD experiencing SD. Such therapy would be expected to improve not only sleep but also other ASD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fusun Doldur-Balli
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
| | - Toshihiro Imamura
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA; Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Olivia J Veatch
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, USA
| | - Naihua N Gong
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Diane C Lim
- Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, USA
| | - Michael P Hart
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Ted Abel
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience & Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA
| | - Matthew S Kayser
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA; Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Edward S Brodkin
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Allan I Pack
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
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13
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Buchert SN, Murakami P, Kalavadia AH, Reyes MT, Sitaraman D. Sleep correlates with behavioral decision making critical for reproductive output in Drosophila melanogaster. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 264:111114. [PMID: 34785379 PMCID: PMC9299756 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.111114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Balance between sleep, wakefulness and arousal is important for survival of organisms and species as a whole. While, the benefits of sleep both in terms of quantity and quality is widely recognized across species, sleep has a cost for organismal survival and reproduction. Here we focus on how sleep duration, sleep depth and sleep pressure affect the ability of animals to engage in courtship and egg-laying behaviors critical for reproductive success. Using isogenic lines from the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel with variable sleep phenotypes we investigated the relationship between sleep and reproductive behaviors, courtship and oviposition. We found that three out of five lines with decreased sleep and increased arousal phenotypes, showed increased courtship and decreased latency to court as compared to normal and long sleeping lines. However, the male courtship phenotype is dependent on context and genotype as some but not all long sleeping-low courting lines elevate their courtship in the presence of short sleeping-high courting flies. We also find that unlike courtship, sleep phenotypes were less variable and minimally susceptible to social experience. In addition to male courtship, we also investigated egg-laying phenotype, a readout of female reproductive output and find oviposition to be less sensitive to sleep length and parameters that are indicative of switch between sleep and wake states. Taken together our extensive behavioral analysis here shows complex bidirectional interactions between genotype and environment and add to the growing evidence linking sleep duration and sleep-wake switch parameters to behavioral decision making critical to reproductive output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven N. Buchert
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd, California State University, Hayward, CA 94542, United States of America
| | - Pomai Murakami
- Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, 5998 Alcala Park, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92110, United States of America
| | - Aashaka H. Kalavadia
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd, California State University, Hayward, CA 94542, United States of America
| | - Martin T. Reyes
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd, California State University, Hayward, CA 94542, United States of America
| | - Divya Sitaraman
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd, California State University, Hayward, CA 94542, United States of America,Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, 5998 Alcala Park, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92110, United States of America,Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, College of Science, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd, California State University, Hayward, CA 94542, United States of America. (D. Sitaraman)
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14
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Bayer EA, Liberatore KM, Schneider JR, Schlesinger E, He Z, Birnbaum S, Wightman B. Insulin signaling and osmotic stress response regulate arousal and developmental progression of C. elegans at hatching. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab202. [PMID: 34788806 PMCID: PMC8733457 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The progression of animal development from embryonic to juvenile life depends on the coordination of organism-wide responses with environmental conditions. We found that two transcription factors that function in interneuron differentiation in Caenorhabditis elegans, fax-1, and unc-42, are required for arousal and progression from embryogenesis to larval life by potentiating insulin signaling. The combination of mutations in either transcription factor and a mutation in daf-2 insulin receptor results in a novel perihatching arrest phenotype; embryos are fully developed but inactive, often remaining trapped within the eggshell, and fail to initiate pharyngeal pumping. This pathway is opposed by an osmotic sensory response pathway that promotes developmental arrest and a sleep state at the end of embryogenesis in response to elevated salt concentration. The quiescent state induced by loss of insulin signaling or by osmotic stress can be reversed by mutations in genes that are required for sleep. Therefore, countervailing signals regulate late embryonic arousal and developmental progression to larval life, mechanistically linking the two responses. Our findings demonstrate a role for insulin signaling in an arousal circuit, consistent with evidence that insulin-related regulation may function in control of sleep states in many animals. The opposing quiescent arrest state may serve as an adaptive response to the osmotic threat from high salinity environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Bayer
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
| | | | | | - Evan Schlesinger
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
| | - Zhengying He
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
| | - Susanna Birnbaum
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
| | - Bruce Wightman
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
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15
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Krishnamoorthy A, Kadener S. Using Drosophila to uncover molecular and physiological functions of circRNAs. Methods 2021; 196:74-84. [PMID: 33901645 PMCID: PMC8542058 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2021.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of covalently closed RNA molecules generated by backsplicing. circRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific manner, accumulate with age in neural tissues, and are highly stable. In many cases, circRNAs are generated at the expense of a linear transcript as back-splicing competes with linear splicing. Some circRNAs regulate gene expression in cis, and some circRNAs can be translated into protein. The advent of deep sequencing and new bioinformatic tools has allowed detection of thousands of circRNAs in eukaryotes. Studying the functions of circRNAs is done using a combination of molecular and genetic methods. The unique genetic tools that can be used in studies of Drosophila melanogaster are ideal for deciphering the functions of circRNAs in vivo. These tools include the GAL4-UAS system, which can be used to manipulate the levels of circRNAs with exquisite temporal and spatial control, and genetic interaction screening, which could be used to identify pathways regulated by circRNAs. Research performed in Drosophila has revealed circRNAs production mechanisms, details of their translation, and their physiological functions. Due to their short lifecycle and the existence of excellent neurodegeneration models, Drosophila can also be used to study the role of circRNAs in aging and age-related disorders. Here, we review molecular and genetic tools and methods for detecting, manipulating, and studying circRNAs in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sebastian Kadener
- Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, United States.
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16
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Van De Poll MN, van Swinderen B. Balancing Prediction and Surprise: A Role for Active Sleep at the Dawn of Consciousness? Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:768762. [PMID: 34803618 PMCID: PMC8602873 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.768762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain is a prediction machine. Yet the world is never entirely predictable, for any animal. Unexpected events are surprising, and this typically evokes prediction error signatures in mammalian brains. In humans such mismatched expectations are often associated with an emotional response as well, and emotional dysregulation can lead to cognitive disorders such as depression or schizophrenia. Emotional responses are understood to be important for memory consolidation, suggesting that positive or negative 'valence' cues more generally constitute an ancient mechanism designed to potently refine and generalize internal models of the world and thereby minimize prediction errors. On the other hand, abolishing error detection and surprise entirely (as could happen by generalization or habituation) is probably maladaptive, as this might undermine the very mechanism that brains use to become better prediction machines. This paradoxical view of brain function as an ongoing balance between prediction and surprise suggests a compelling approach to study and understand the evolution of consciousness in animals. In particular, this view may provide insight into the function and evolution of 'active' sleep. Here, we propose that active sleep - when animals are behaviorally asleep but their brain seems awake - is widespread beyond mammals and birds, and may have evolved as a mechanism for optimizing predictive processing in motile creatures confronted with constantly changing environments. To explore our hypothesis, we progress from humans to invertebrates, investigating how a potential role for rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in emotional regulation in humans could be re-examined as a conserved sleep function that co-evolved alongside selective attention to maintain an adaptive balance between prediction and surprise. This view of active sleep has some interesting implications for the evolution of subjective awareness and consciousness in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bruno van Swinderen
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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17
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Jalbrzikowski M, Hayes RA, Scully KE, Franzen PL, Hasler BP, Siegle GJ, Buysse DJ, Dahl RE, Forbes EE, Ladouceur CD, McMakin DL, Ryan ND, Silk JS, Goldstein TR, Soehner AM. Associations between brain structure and sleep patterns across adolescent development. Sleep 2021; 44:zsab120. [PMID: 33971013 PMCID: PMC8503824 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsab120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Structural brain maturation and sleep are complex processes that exhibit significant changes over adolescence and are linked to many physical and mental health outcomes. We investigated whether sleep-gray matter relationships are developmentally invariant (i.e. stable across age) or developmentally specific (i.e. only present during discrete time windows) from late childhood through young adulthood. METHODS We constructed the Neuroimaging and Pediatric Sleep Databank from eight research studies conducted at the University of Pittsburgh (2009-2020). Participants completed a T1-weighted structural MRI scan (sMRI) and 5-7 days of wrist actigraphy to assess naturalistic sleep. The final analytic sample consisted of 225 participants without current psychiatric diagnoses (9-25 years). We extracted cortical thickness and subcortical volumes from sMRI. Sleep patterns (duration, timing, continuity, regularity) were estimated from wrist actigraphy. Using regularized regression, we examined cross-sectional associations between sMRI measures and sleep patterns, as well as the effects of age, sex, and their interaction with sMRI measures on sleep. RESULTS Shorter sleep duration, later sleep timing, and poorer sleep continuity were associated with thinner cortex and altered subcortical volumes in diverse brain regions across adolescence. In a discrete subset of regions (e.g. posterior cingulate), thinner cortex was associated with these sleep patterns from late childhood through early-to-mid adolescence but not in late adolescence and young adulthood. CONCLUSIONS In childhood and adolescence, developmentally invariant and developmentally specific associations exist between sleep patterns and gray matter structure, across brain regions linked to sensory, cognitive, and emotional processes. Sleep intervention during specific developmental periods could potentially promote healthier neurodevelopmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Jalbrzikowski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Rebecca A Hayes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Kathleen E Scully
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Peter L Franzen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Brant P Hasler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Greg J Siegle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Daniel J Buysse
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Ronald E Dahl
- Department of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - Erika E Forbes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Cecile D Ladouceur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Dana L McMakin
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL
| | - Neal D Ryan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Jennifer S Silk
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Tina R Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Adriane M Soehner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
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18
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Kanwal JK, Coddington E, Frazer R, Limbania D, Turner G, Davila KJ, Givens MA, Williams V, Datta SR, Wasserman S. Internal State: Dynamic, Interconnected Communication Loops Distributed Across Body, Brain, and Time. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:867-886. [PMID: 34115114 PMCID: PMC8623242 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Internal state profoundly alters perception and behavior. For example, a starved fly may approach and consume foods that it would otherwise find undesirable. A socially engaged newt may remain engaged in the presence of a predator, whereas a solitary newt would otherwise attempt to escape. Yet, the definition of internal state is fluid and ill-defined. As an interdisciplinary group of scholars spanning five career stages (from undergraduate to full professor) and six academic institutions, we came together in an attempt to provide an operational definition of internal state that could be useful in understanding the behavior and the function of nervous systems, at timescales relevant to the individual. In this perspective, we propose to define internal state through an integrative framework centered on dynamic and interconnected communication loops within and between the body and the brain. This framework is informed by a synthesis of historical and contemporary paradigms used by neurobiologists, ethologists, physiologists, and endocrinologists. We view internal state as composed of both spatially distributed networks (body-brain communication loops), and temporally distributed mechanisms that weave together neural circuits, physiology, and behavior. Given the wide spatial and temporal scales at which internal state operates-and therefore the broad range of scales at which it could be defined-we choose to anchor our definition in the body. Here we focus on studies that highlight body-to-brain signaling; body represented in endocrine signaling, and brain represented in sensory signaling. This integrative framework of internal state potentially unites the disparate paradigms often used by scientists grappling with body-brain interactions. We invite others to join us as we examine approaches and question assumptions to study the underlying mechanisms and temporal dynamics of internal state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessleen K Kanwal
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of
Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Emma Coddington
- Department of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, OR
97301, USA
| | - Rachel Frazer
- Division of Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia Universitye,
New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Daniela Limbania
- Department of Neuroscience, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
02481, USA
| | - Grace Turner
- Department of Neuroscience, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
02481, USA
| | - Karla J Davila
- Department of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, OR
97301, USA
| | - Michael A Givens
- Department of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, OR
97301, USA
| | - Valarie Williams
- Department of Dance, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
43210, USA
| | | | - Sara Wasserman
- Department of Neuroscience, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
02481, USA
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19
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Badhiwala KN, Primack AS, Juliano CE, Robinson JT. Multiple neuronal networks coordinate Hydra mechanosensory behavior. eLife 2021; 10:e64108. [PMID: 34328079 PMCID: PMC8324302 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydra vulgaris is an emerging model organism for neuroscience due to its small size, transparency, genetic tractability, and regenerative nervous system; however, fundamental properties of its sensorimotor behaviors remain unknown. Here, we use microfluidic devices combined with fluorescent calcium imaging and surgical resectioning to study how the diffuse nervous system coordinates Hydra's mechanosensory response. Mechanical stimuli cause animals to contract, and we find this response relies on at least two distinct networks of neurons in the oral and aboral regions of the animal. Different activity patterns arise in these networks depending on whether the animal is contracting spontaneously or contracting in response to mechanical stimulation. Together, these findings improve our understanding of how Hydra's diffuse nervous system coordinates sensorimotor behaviors. These insights help reveal how sensory information is processed in an animal with a diffuse, radially symmetric neural architecture unlike the dense, bilaterally symmetric nervous systems found in most model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Abby S Primack
- Department of Molecular and Cellular BiologyUniversity of California, DavisUnited States
| | - Celina E Juliano
- Department of Molecular and Cellular BiologyUniversity of California, DavisUnited States
| | - Jacob T Robinson
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice UniversityHoustonUnited States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice UniversityHoustonUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
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20
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Nutraceutical and Probiotic Approaches to Examine Molecular Interactions of the Amyloid Precursor Protein APP in Drosophila Models of Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22137022. [PMID: 34209883 PMCID: PMC8269328 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies using animal models have shed light into the molecular and cellular basis for the neuropathology observed in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In particular, the role of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) plays a crucial role in the formation of senile plaques and aging-dependent degeneration. Here, we focus our review on recent findings using the Drosophila AD model to expand our understanding of APP molecular function and interactions, including insights gained from the fly homolog APP-like (APPL). Finally, as there is still no cure for AD, we review some approaches that have shown promising results in ameliorating AD-associated phenotypes, with special attention on the use of nutraceuticals and their molecular effects, as well as interactions with the gut microbiome. Overall, the phenomena described here are of fundamental significance for understanding network development and degeneration. Given the highly conserved nature of fundamental signaling pathways, the insight gained from animal models such as Drosophila melanogaster will likely advance the understanding of the mammalian brain, and thus be relevant to human health.
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21
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Cao J, Herman AB, West GB, Poe G, Savage VM. Unraveling why we sleep: Quantitative analysis reveals abrupt transition from neural reorganization to repair in early development. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/38/eaba0398. [PMID: 32948580 PMCID: PMC7500925 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba0398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Sleep serves disparate functions, most notably neural repair, metabolite clearance and circuit reorganization. Yet the relative importance remains hotly debated. Here, we create a novel mechanistic framework for understanding and predicting how sleep changes during ontogeny and across phylogeny. We use this theory to quantitatively distinguish between sleep used for neural reorganization versus repair. Our findings reveal an abrupt transition, between 2 and 3 years of age in humans. Specifically, our results show that differences in sleep across phylogeny and during late ontogeny (after 2 or 3 years in humans) are primarily due to sleep functioning for repair or clearance, while changes in sleep during early ontogeny (before 2 or 3 years) primarily support neural reorganization and learning. Moreover, our analysis shows that neuroplastic reorganization occurs primarily in REM sleep but not in NREM. This developmental transition suggests a complex interplay between developmental and evolutionary constraints on sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyu Cao
- Department of Information, Risk and Operations Management, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Geoffrey B West
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Gina Poe
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Van M Savage
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA.
- Departments of Computational Medicine and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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22
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MacDuffie KE, Shen MD, Dager SR, Styner MA, Kim SH, Paterson S, Pandey J, John TS, Elison JT, Wolff JJ, Swanson MR, Botteron KN, Zwaigenbaum L, Piven J, Estes AM. Sleep Onset Problems and Subcortical Development in Infants Later Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2020; 177:518-525. [PMID: 32375538 PMCID: PMC7519575 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19060666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Sleep patterns in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appear to diverge from typical development in the second or third year of life. Little is known, however, about the occurrence of sleep problems in infants who later develop ASD and possible effects on early brain development. In a longitudinal neuroimaging study of infants at familial high or low risk for ASD, parent-reported sleep onset problems were examined in relation to subcortical brain volumes in the first 2 years of life. METHODS A total of 432 infants were included across three study groups: infants at high risk who developed ASD (N=71), infants at high risk who did not develop ASD (N=234), and infants at low risk (N=127). Sleep onset problem scores (derived from an infant temperament measure) were evaluated in relation to longitudinal high-resolution T1 and T2 structural imaging data acquired at 6, 12, and 24 months of age. RESULTS Sleep onset problems were more common at 6-12 months among infants who later developed ASD. Infant sleep onset problems were related to hippocampal volume trajectories from 6 to 24 months only for infants at high risk who developed ASD. Brain-sleep relationships were specific to the hippocampus; no significant relationships were found with volume trajectories of other subcortical structures examined (the amygdala, caudate, globus pallidus, putamen, and thalamus). CONCLUSIONS These findings provide initial evidence that sleep onset problems in the first year of life precede ASD diagnosis and are associated with altered neurodevelopmental trajectories in infants at high familial risk who go on to develop ASD. If replicated, these findings could provide new insights into a potential role of sleep difficulties in the development of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark D. Shen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
| | | | - Martin A. Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill,Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
| | - Sun Hyung Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
| | - Sarah Paterson
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia
| | - Juhi Pandey
- Department of Child Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
| | - Tanya St. John
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Jed T. Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Jason J. Wolff
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Meghan R. Swanson
- Department of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas
| | - Kelly N. Botteron
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
| | - Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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23
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de Vivo L, Nagai H, De Wispelaere N, Spano GM, Marshall W, Bellesi M, Nemec KM, Schiereck SS, Nagai M, Tononi G, Cirelli C. Evidence for sleep-dependent synaptic renormalization in mouse pups. Sleep 2020; 42:5543176. [PMID: 31374117 PMCID: PMC6802737 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsz184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In adolescent and adult brains several molecular, electrophysiological, and ultrastructural measures of synaptic strength are higher after wake than after sleep [1, 2]. These results support the proposal that a core function of sleep is to renormalize the increase in synaptic strength associated with ongoing learning during wake, to reestablish cellular homeostasis and avoid runaway potentiation, synaptic saturation, and memory interference [2, 3]. Before adolescence however, when the brain is still growing and many new synapses are forming, sleep is widely believed to promote synapse formation and growth. To assess the role of sleep on synapses early in life, we studied 2-week-old mouse pups (both sexes) whose brain is still undergoing significant developmental changes, but in which sleep and wake are easy to recognize. In two strains (CD-1, YFP-H) we found that pups spend ~50% of the day asleep and show an immediate increase in total sleep duration after a few hours of enforced wake, indicative of sleep homeostasis. In YFP-H pups we then used serial block-face electron microscopy to examine whether the axon-spine interface (ASI), an ultrastructural marker of synaptic strength, changes between wake and sleep. We found that the ASI of cortical synapses (layer 2, motor cortex) was on average 33.9% smaller after sleep relative to after extended wake and the differences between conditions were consistent with multiplicative scaling. Thus, the need for sleep-dependent synaptic renormalization may apply also to the young, pre-weaned cerebral cortex, at least in the superficial layers of the primary motor area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa de Vivo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Hirotaka Nagai
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | | | | | - William Marshall
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Michele Bellesi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | | | | | - Midori Nagai
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Giulio Tononi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Chiara Cirelli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
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24
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Gonzales DL, Badhiwala KN, Avants BW, Robinson JT. Bioelectronics for Millimeter-Sized Model Organisms. iScience 2020; 23:100917. [PMID: 32114383 PMCID: PMC7049667 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in microfabrication technologies and biomaterials have enabled a growing class of electronic devices that can stimulate and record bioelectronic signals. Many of these devices have been developed for humans or vertebrate animals, where miniaturization allows for implantation within the body. There are, however, another class of bioelectronic interfaces that exploit microfabrication and nanoelectronics to record signals from tiny, millimeter-sized organisms. In these cases, rather than implanting a device inside an animal, animals themselves are loaded in large numbers into bioelectronic devices for neural circuit and behavioral interrogation. These scalable interfaces provide platforms to develop new therapeutics as well as better understand basic principles of bioelectronic communication, neuroscience, and behavior. Here we review recent progress in these bioelectronic technologies and describe how they can complement on-chip optical, mechanical, and chemical interrogation methods to achieve high-throughput, multimodal studies of millimeter-sized small animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Gonzales
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, 206 S. Martin Jischke Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Krishna N Badhiwala
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Benjamin W Avants
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jacob T Robinson
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA; Applied Physics Program, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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25
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Chakravarti Dilley L, Szuperak M, Gong NN, Williams CE, Saldana RL, Garbe DS, Syed MH, Jain R, Kayser MS. Identification of a molecular basis for the juvenile sleep state. eLife 2020; 9:52676. [PMID: 32202500 PMCID: PMC7185995 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Across species, sleep in young animals is critical for normal brain maturation. The molecular determinants of early life sleep remain unknown. Through an RNAi-based screen, we identified a gene, pdm3, required for sleep maturation in Drosophila. Pdm3, a transcription factor, coordinates an early developmental program that prepares the brain to later execute high levels of juvenile adult sleep. PDM3 controls the wiring of wake-promoting dopaminergic (DA) neurites to a sleep-promoting region, and loss of PDM3 prematurely increases DA inhibition of the sleep center, abolishing the juvenile sleep state. RNA-Seq/ChIP-Seq and a subsequent modifier screen reveal that pdm3 represses expression of the synaptogenesis gene Msp300 to establish the appropriate window for DA innervation. These studies define the molecular cues governing sleep behavioral and circuit development, and suggest sleep disorders may be of neurodevelopmental origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leela Chakravarti Dilley
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Milan Szuperak
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Naihua N Gong
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Charlette E Williams
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Ricardo Linares Saldana
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - David S Garbe
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | | | - Rajan Jain
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Matthew S Kayser
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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26
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Maluck E, Busack I, Besseling J, Masurat F, Turek M, Busch KE, Bringmann H. A wake-active locomotion circuit depolarizes a sleep-active neuron to switch on sleep. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000361. [PMID: 32078631 PMCID: PMC7053779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep-active neurons depolarize during sleep to suppress wakefulness circuits. Wake-active wake-promoting neurons in turn shut down sleep-active neurons, thus forming a bipartite flip-flop switch. However, how sleep is switched on is unclear because it is not known how wakefulness is translated into sleep-active neuron depolarization when the system is set to sleep. Using optogenetics in Caenorhabditis elegans, we solved the presynaptic circuit for depolarization of the sleep-active RIS neuron during developmentally regulated sleep, also known as lethargus. Surprisingly, we found that RIS activation requires neurons that have known roles in wakefulness and locomotion behavior. The RIM interneurons—which are active during and can induce reverse locomotion—play a complex role and can act as inhibitors of RIS when they are strongly depolarized and as activators of RIS when they are modestly depolarized. The PVC command interneurons, which are known to promote forward locomotion during wakefulness, act as major activators of RIS. The properties of these locomotion neurons are modulated during lethargus. The RIMs become less excitable. The PVCs become resistant to inhibition and have an increased capacity to activate RIS. Separate activation of neither the PVCs nor the RIMs appears to be sufficient for sleep induction; instead, our data suggest that they act in concert to activate RIS. Forward and reverse circuit activity is normally mutually exclusive. Our data suggest that RIS may be activated at the transition between forward and reverse locomotion states, perhaps when both forward (PVC) and reverse (including RIM) circuit activity overlap. While RIS is not strongly activated outside of lethargus, altered activity of the locomotion interneurons during lethargus favors strong RIS activation and thus sleep. The control of sleep-active neurons by locomotion circuits suggests that sleep control may have evolved from locomotion control. The flip-flop sleep switch in C. elegans thus requires an additional component, wake-active sleep-promoting neurons that translate wakefulness into the depolarization of a sleep-active neuron when the worm is sleepy. Wake-active sleep-promoting circuits may also be required for sleep state switching in other animals, including in mammals. This study in nematodes shows that to understand sleep state switching, the flip-flop model for sleep regulation needs to be complemented by additional wake-active sleep-promoting neurons that activate sleep-active sleep-promoting neurons to induce sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Maluck
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
- University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Inka Busack
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
- University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Judith Besseling
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Michal Turek
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Henrik Bringmann
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
- University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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27
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Andersen ML. A brief report on early sleep studies. Sleep Sci 2020; 13:1-2. [PMID: 32670485 PMCID: PMC7347364 DOI: 10.5935/1984-0063.20190144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Monica Levy Andersen
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo Rua Napoleão de Barros, 925, 04024- 002, São Paulo SP, Brazil,Corresponding author: Monica Levy Andersen. E-mail:
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28
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Abstract
During sleep, animals do not eat, reproduce or forage. Sleeping animals are vulnerable to predation. Yet, the persistence of sleep despite evolutionary pressures, and the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation, indicate that sleep serves a function or functions that cannot easily be bypassed. Recent research demonstrates sleep to be phylogenetically far more pervasive than previously appreciated; it is possible that the very first animals slept. Here, we give an overview of sleep across various species, with the aim of determining its original purpose. Sleep exists in animals without cephalized nervous systems and can be influenced by non-neuronal signals, including those associated with metabolic rhythms. Together, these observations support the notion that sleep serves metabolic functions in neural and non-neural tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron C Anafi
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology and the Program for Chronobiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Matthew S Kayser
- Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology and the Program for Chronobiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David M Raizen
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology and the Program for Chronobiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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29
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Gonzales DL, Zhou J, Fan B, Robinson JT. A microfluidic-induced C. elegans sleep state. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5035. [PMID: 31695031 PMCID: PMC6834590 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13008-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
An important feature of animal behavior is the ability to switch rapidly between activity states, however, how the brain regulates these spontaneous transitions based on the animal's perceived environment is not well understood. Here we show a C. elegans sleep-like state on a scalable platform that enables simultaneous control of multiple environmental factors including temperature, mechanical stress, and food availability. This brief quiescent state, which we refer to as microfluidic-induced sleep, occurs spontaneously in microfluidic chambers, which allows us to track animal movement and perform whole-brain imaging. With these capabilities, we establish that microfluidic-induced sleep meets the behavioral requirements of C. elegans sleep and depends on multiple factors, such as satiety and temperature. Additionally, we show that C. elegans sleep can be induced through mechanosensory pathways. Together, these results establish a model system for studying how animals process multiple sensory pathways to regulate behavioral states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Gonzales
- Applied Physics Program, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Jasmine Zhou
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Bo Fan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Jacob T Robinson
- Applied Physics Program, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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30
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Beckwith EJ, French AS. Sleep in Drosophila and Its Context. Front Physiol 2019; 10:1167. [PMID: 31572216 PMCID: PMC6749028 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A prominent idea emerging from the study of sleep is that this key behavioural state is regulated in a complex fashion by ecologically and physiologically relevant environmental factors. This concept implies that sleep, as a behaviour, is plastic and can be regulated by external agents and changes in internal state. Drosophila melanogaster constitutes a resourceful model system to study behaviour. In the year 2000, the utility of the fly to study sleep was realised, and has since extensively contributed to this exciting field. At the centre of this review, we will discuss studies showing that temperature, food availability/quality, and interactions with conspecifics can regulate sleep. Indeed the relationship can be reciprocal and sleep perturbation can also affect feeding and social interaction. In particular, different environmental temperatures as well as gradual changes in temperature regulate when, and how much flies sleep. Moreover, the satiation/starvation status of an individual dictates the balance between sleep and foraging. Nutritional composition of diet also has a direct impact on sleep amount and its fragmentation. Likewise, aggression between males, courtship, sexual arousal, mating, and interactions within large groups of animals has an acute and long-lasting effect on sleep amount and quality. Importantly, the genes and neuronal circuits that relay information about the external environment and internal state to sleep centres are starting to be elucidated in the fly and are the focus of this review. In conclusion, sleep, as with most behaviours, needs the full commitment of the individual, preventing participation in other vital activities. A vast array of behaviours that are modulated by external and internal factors compete with the need to sleep and thus have a significant role in regulating it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban J Beckwith
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alice S French
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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31
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Churgin MA, Szuperak M, Davis KC, Raizen DM, Fang-Yen C, Kayser MS. Quantitative imaging of sleep behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans and larval Drosophila melanogaster. Nat Protoc 2019; 14:1455-1488. [PMID: 30953041 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-019-0146-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Sleep is nearly universal among animals, yet remains poorly understood. Recent work has leveraged simple model organisms, such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster larvae, to investigate the genetic and neural bases of sleep. However, manual methods of recording sleep behavior in these systems are labor intensive and low in throughput. To address these limitations, we developed methods for quantitative imaging of individual animals cultivated in custom microfabricated multiwell substrates, and used them to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying sleep. Here, we describe the steps necessary to design, produce, and image these plates, as well as analyze the resulting behavioral data. We also describe approaches for experimentally manipulating sleep. Following these procedures, after ~2 h of experimental preparation, we are able to simultaneously image 24 C. elegans from the second larval stage to adult stages or 20 Drosophila larvae during the second instar life stage at a spatial resolution of 10 or 27 µm, respectively. Although this system has been optimized to measure activity and quiescence in Caenorhabditis larvae and adults and in Drosophila larvae, it can also be used to assess other behaviors over short or long periods. Moreover, with minor modifications, it can be adapted for the behavioral monitoring of a wide range of small animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Churgin
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Milan Szuperak
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kristen C Davis
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David M Raizen
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Chronobiology Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christopher Fang-Yen
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Matthew S Kayser
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Chronobiology Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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32
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Dilley LC, Vigderman A, Williams CE, Kayser MS. Behavioral and genetic features of sleep ontogeny in Drosophila. Sleep 2019; 41:4994190. [PMID: 29746663 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsy086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, like most organisms, exhibits increased sleep amount and depth in young compared to mature animals. While the fly has emerged as a powerful model for studying sleep during development, qualitative behavioral features of sleep ontogeny and its genetic control are poorly understood. Here we find that, in addition to increased sleep time and intensity, young flies sleep with less place preference than mature adults, and, like mammals, exhibit more motor twitches during sleep. In addition, we show that ontogenetic changes in sleep amount, twitch, and place preference are preserved across sleep mutants with lesions in distinct molecular pathways. Our results demonstrate that sleep ontogeny is characterized by multifaceted behavioral changes, including quantitative and qualitative alterations to sleep as animals mature. Further, the preservation of sleep ontogenetic changes despite mutations that alter sleep time suggests independent genetic control mechanisms for sleep maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leela C Dilley
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Abigail Vigderman
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Charlette E Williams
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Matthew S Kayser
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.,Chronobiology Program, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.,Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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33
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Barone I, Hawks-Mayer H, Lipton JO. Mechanisms of sleep and circadian ontogeny through the lens of neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 160:160-172. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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34
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Dashti HS, Jones SE, Wood AR, Lane JM, van Hees VT, Wang H, Rhodes JA, Song Y, Patel K, Anderson SG, Beaumont RN, Bechtold DA, Bowden J, Cade BE, Garaulet M, Kyle SD, Little MA, Loudon AS, Luik AI, Scheer FAJL, Spiegelhalder K, Tyrrell J, Gottlieb DJ, Tiemeier H, Ray DW, Purcell SM, Frayling TM, Redline S, Lawlor DA, Rutter MK, Weedon MN, Saxena R. Genome-wide association study identifies genetic loci for self-reported habitual sleep duration supported by accelerometer-derived estimates. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1100. [PMID: 30846698 PMCID: PMC6405943 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08917-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 330] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep is an essential state of decreased activity and alertness but molecular factors regulating sleep duration remain unknown. Through genome-wide association analysis in 446,118 adults of European ancestry from the UK Biobank, we identify 78 loci for self-reported habitual sleep duration (p < 5 × 10−8; 43 loci at p < 6 × 10−9). Replication is observed for PAX8, VRK2, and FBXL12/UBL5/PIN1 loci in the CHARGE study (n = 47,180; p < 6.3 × 10−4), and 55 signals show sign-concordant effects. The 78 loci further associate with accelerometer-derived sleep duration, daytime inactivity, sleep efficiency and number of sleep bouts in secondary analysis (n = 85,499). Loci are enriched for pathways including striatum and subpallium development, mechanosensory response, dopamine binding, synaptic neurotransmission and plasticity, among others. Genetic correlation indicates shared links with anthropometric, cognitive, metabolic, and psychiatric traits and two-sample Mendelian randomization highlights a bidirectional causal link with schizophrenia. This work provides insights into the genetic basis for inter-individual variation in sleep duration implicating multiple biological pathways. Sleep is essential for homeostasis and insufficient or excessive sleep are associated with adverse outcomes. Here, the authors perform GWAS for self-reported habitual sleep duration in adults, supported by accelerometer-derived measures, and identify genetic correlation with psychiatric and metabolic traits
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan S Dashti
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, MA, USA.,Broad Institute, Cambridge, 02142, MA, USA
| | - Samuel E Jones
- Genetics of Complex Traits, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, EX2 5DW, UK
| | - Andrew R Wood
- Genetics of Complex Traits, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, EX2 5DW, UK
| | - Jacqueline M Lane
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, MA, USA.,Broad Institute, Cambridge, 02142, MA, USA.,Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, MA, USA
| | | | - Heming Wang
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, 02142, MA, USA.,Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.,Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Jessica A Rhodes
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, MA, USA.,Broad Institute, Cambridge, 02142, MA, USA
| | - Yanwei Song
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, MA, USA.,Northeastern University College of Science, 176 Mugar Life Sciences, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02015, USA
| | - Krunal Patel
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, MA, USA.,Northeastern University College of Science, 176 Mugar Life Sciences, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02015, USA
| | - Simon G Anderson
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Robin N Beaumont
- Genetics of Complex Traits, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, EX2 5DW, UK
| | - David A Bechtold
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Gastroenterology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Jack Bowden
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK.,Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Brian E Cade
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, 02142, MA, USA.,Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.,Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Marta Garaulet
- Department of Physiology, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain.,IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, 30120, Spain
| | - Simon D Kyle
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK
| | - Max A Little
- Department of Mathematics, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK.,Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Andrew S Loudon
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Gastroenterology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Annemarie I Luik
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK
| | - Frank A J L Scheer
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, 02142, MA, USA.,Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.,Medical Chronobiology Program, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Kai Spiegelhalder
- Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79106, Germany
| | - Jessica Tyrrell
- Genetics of Complex Traits, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, EX2 5DW, UK
| | - Daniel J Gottlieb
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.,Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.,VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, 02132, MA, USA
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Deprtment of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015, The Netherlands
| | - David W Ray
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Gastroenterology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Shaun M Purcell
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 02115, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy M Frayling
- Genetics of Complex Traits, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, EX2 5DW, UK
| | - Susan Redline
- Departments of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Deborah A Lawlor
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK.,Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Martin K Rutter
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Gastroenterology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.,Manchester Diabetes Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Michael N Weedon
- Genetics of Complex Traits, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, EX2 5DW, UK
| | - Richa Saxena
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, MA, USA. .,Broad Institute, Cambridge, 02142, MA, USA. .,Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, MA, USA.
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35
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Bringmann H. Genetic sleep deprivation: using sleep mutants to study sleep functions. EMBO Rep 2019; 20:embr.201846807. [PMID: 30804011 PMCID: PMC6399599 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201846807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep is a fundamental conserved physiological state in animals and humans. It may serve multiple functions, ranging from energy conservation to higher brain operation. Understanding sleep functions and the underlying mechanisms requires the study of sleeplessness and its consequences. The traditional approach to remove sleep is sleep deprivation (SD) by sensory stimulation. However, stimulation-induced SD can be stressful and can cause non-specific side effects. An emerging alternative method is "genetic SD", which removes sleep using genetics or optogenetics. Sleep requires sleep-active neurons and their regulators. Thus, genetic impairment of sleep circuits might lead to more specific and comprehensive sleep loss. Here, I discuss the advantages and limits of genetic SD in key genetic sleep model animals: rodents, zebrafish, fruit flies and roundworms, and how the study of genetic SD alters our view of sleep functions. Genetic SD typically causes less severe phenotypes compared with stimulation-induced SD, suggesting that sensory stimulation-induced SD may have overestimated the role of sleep, calling for a re-investigation of sleep functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Bringmann
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
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36
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Dooley JC, Blumberg MS. Developmental 'awakening' of primary motor cortex to the sensory consequences of movement. eLife 2018; 7:41841. [PMID: 30574868 PMCID: PMC6320070 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Before primary motor cortex (M1) develops its motor functions, it functions like a somatosensory area. Here, by recording from neurons in the forelimb representation of M1 in postnatal day (P) 8–12 rats, we demonstrate a rapid shift in its sensory responses. At P8-10, M1 neurons respond overwhelmingly to feedback from sleep-related twitches of the forelimb, but the same neurons do not respond to wake-related movements. By P12, M1 neurons suddenly respond to wake movements, a transition that results from opening the sensory gate in the external cuneate nucleus. Also at P12, fewer M1 neurons respond to individual twitches, but the full complement of twitch-related feedback observed at P8 is unmasked through local disinhibition. Finally, through P12, M1 sensory responses originate in the deep thalamorecipient layers, not primary somatosensory cortex. These findings demonstrate that M1 initially establishes a sensory framework upon which its later-emerging role in motor control is built.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C Dooley
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa, United States.,DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa, United States
| | - Mark S Blumberg
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa, United States.,DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa, United States.,Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa, United States.,Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa, United States.,Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, United States
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37
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Wu Y, Masurat F, Preis J, Bringmann H. Sleep Counteracts Aging Phenotypes to Survive Starvation-Induced Developmental Arrest in C. elegans. Curr Biol 2018; 28:3610-3624.e8. [PMID: 30416057 PMCID: PMC6264389 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Sleep is ancient and fulfills higher brain functions as well as basic vital processes. Little is known about how sleep emerged in evolution and what essential functions it was selected for. Here, we investigated sleep in Caenorhabditis elegans across developmental stages and physiological conditions to find out when and how sleep in a simple animal becomes essential for survival. We found that sleep in worms occurs during most stages and physiological conditions and is typically induced by the sleep-active RIS neuron. Food quality and availability determine sleep amount. Extended starvation, which induces developmental arrest in larvae, presents a major sleep trigger. Conserved nutrient-sensing regulators of longevity and developmental arrest, AMP-activated kinase and FoxO, act in parallel to induce sleep during extended food deprivation. These metabolic factors can act in multiple tissues to signal starvation to RIS. Although sleep does not appear to be essential for a normal adult lifespan, it is crucial for survival of starvation-induced developmental arrest in larvae. Rather than merely saving energy for later use, sleep counteracts the progression of aging phenotypes, perhaps by allocating resources. Thus, sleep presents a protective anti-aging program that is induced by nutrient-sensing longevity pathways to survive starvation-induced developmental arrest. All organisms are threatened with the possibility of experienced famine in their life, which suggests that the molecular coupling of starvation, development, aging, and sleep was selected for early in the evolution of nervous systems and may be conserved in other species, including humans. C. elegans sleep across most physiological conditions, including developmental arrest The sleep-active RIS neuron generally induces physiological sleep Insulin and sirtuin signaling control AMPK and FoxO to induce sleep during starvation Sleep is required to survive developmental arrest and counteracts aging phenotypes
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Wu
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Florentin Masurat
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jasmin Preis
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Henrik Bringmann
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
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38
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Abstract
Sleep is crucial for survival and well-being. This behavioral and physiological state has been studied in all major genetically accessible model animals, including rodents, fish, flies, and worms. Genetic and optogenetic studies have identified several neurons that control sleep, making it now possible to compare circuit mechanisms across species. The “motor” of sleep across animal species is formed by neurons that depolarize at the onset of sleep to actively induce this state by directly inhibiting wakefulness. These sleep-inducing neurons are themselves controlled by inhibitory or activating upstream pathways, which act as the “drivers” of the sleep motor: arousal inhibits “sleep-active” neurons whereas various sleep-promoting “tiredness” pathways converge onto sleep-active neurons to depolarize them. This review provides the first overview of sleep-active neurons across the major model animals. The occurrence of sleep-active neurons and their regulation by upstream pathways in both vertebrate and invertebrate species suggests that these neurons are general and ancient components that evolved early in the history of nervous systems.
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39
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Control of Sleep Onset by Shal/K v4 Channels in Drosophila Circadian Neurons. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9059-9071. [PMID: 30185460 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0777-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2018] [Revised: 08/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep is highly conserved across animal species. Both wake- and sleep-promoting neurons are implicated in the regulation of wake-sleep transition at dusk in Drosophila However, little is known about how they cooperate and whether they act via different mechanisms. Here, we demonstrated that in female Drosophila, sleep onset was specifically delayed by blocking the Shaker cognate L channels [Shal; also known as voltage-gated K+ channel 4 (Kv4)] in wake-promoting cells, including large ventral lateral neurons (l-LNvs) and pars intercerebralis (PI), but not in sleep-promoting dorsal neurons (DN1s). Delayed sleep onset was also observed in males by blocking Kv4 activity in wake-promoting neurons. Electrophysiological recordings show that Kv4 channels contribute A-type currents in LNvs and PI cells, but are much less conspicuous in DN1s. Interestingly, blocking Kv4 in wake-promoting neurons preferentially increased firing rates at dusk ∼ZT13, when the resting membrane potentials and firing rates were at lower levels. Furthermore, pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) is essential for the regulation of sleep onset by Kv4 in l-LNvs, and downregulation of PDF receptor (PDFR) in PI neurons advanced sleep onset, indicating Kv4 controls sleep onset via regulating PDF/PDFR signaling in wake-promoting neurons. We propose that Kv4 acts as a sleep onset controller by suppressing membrane excitability in a clock-dependent manner to balance the wake-sleep transition at dusk. Our results have important implications for the understanding and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The mechanisms by which our brains reversibly switch from waking to sleep state remain an unanswered and intriguing question in biological research. In this study, we identified that Shal/Kv4, a well known voltage-gated K+ channel, acts as a controller of wake-sleep transition at dusk in Drosophila circadian neurons. We find that interference of Kv4 function with a dominant-negative form (DNKv4) in subsets of circadian neurons specifically disrupts sleep onset at dusk, although Kv4 itself does not exhibit circadian oscillation. Kv4 preferentially downregulates neuronal firings at ZT9-ZT17, supporting that it plays an essential role in wake-sleep transition at dusk. Our findings may help understand and eventually treat sleep disorders such as insomnia.
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40
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Spies J, Bringmann H. Automated detection and manipulation of sleep in C. elegans reveals depolarization of a sleep-active neuron during mechanical stimulation-induced sleep deprivation. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9732. [PMID: 29950594 PMCID: PMC6021397 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28095-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Across species, sleep is characterized by a complex architecture. Sleep deprivation is a classic method to study the consequences of sleep loss, which include alterations in the activity of sleep circuits and detrimental consequences on well being. Automating the observation and manipulation of sleep is advantageous to study its regulation and functions. Caenorhabditis elegans shows sleep behavior similar to other animals that have a nervous system. However, a method for real-time automatic sleep detection that allows sleep-specific manipulations has not been established for this model animal. Also, our understanding of how sleep deprivation affects sleep neurons in this system is incomplete. Here we describe a system for real-time automatic sleep detection of C. elegans grown in microfluidic devices based on a frame-subtraction algorithm using a dynamic threshold. As proof of principle for this setup, we used automated mechanical stimulation to perturb sleep behavior and followed the activity of the sleep-active RIS neuron. We show that our system can automatically detect sleep bouts and deprive worms of sleep. We found that mechanical stimulation generally leads to the activation of the sleep-active RIS neuron, and this stimulation-induced RIS depolarization is most prominent during sleep deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Spies
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Henrik Bringmann
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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41
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Abstract
Sleep is nearly ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom, yet little is known about how ecological factors or perturbations to the environment shape the duration and timing of sleep. In diverse animal taxa, poor sleep negatively impacts development, cognitive abilities and longevity. In addition to mammals, sleep has been characterized in genetic model organisms, ranging from the nematode worm to zebrafish, and, more recently, in emergent models with simplified nervous systems such as Aplysia and jellyfish. In addition, evolutionary models ranging from fruit flies to cavefish have leveraged natural genetic variation to investigate the relationship between ecology and sleep. Here, we describe the contributions of classical and emergent genetic model systems to investigate mechanisms underlying sleep regulation. These studies highlight fundamental interactions between sleep and sensory processing, as well as a remarkable plasticity of sleep in response to environmental changes. Understanding how sleep varies throughout the animal kingdom will provide critical insight into fundamental functions and conserved genetic mechanisms underlying sleep regulation. Furthermore, identification of naturally occurring genetic variation regulating sleep may provide novel drug targets and approaches to treat sleep-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex C Keene
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Erik R Duboue
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
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42
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Del Rio-Bermudez C, Blumberg MS. Active Sleep Promotes Functional Connectivity in Developing Sensorimotor Networks. Bioessays 2018; 40:e1700234. [PMID: 29508913 PMCID: PMC6247910 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201700234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
A ubiquitous feature of active (REM) sleep in mammals and birds is its relative abundance in early development. In rat pups across the first two postnatal weeks, active sleep promotes the expression of synchronized oscillatory activity within and between cortical and subcortical sensorimotor structures. Sensory feedback from self-generated myoclonic twitches - which are produced exclusively during active sleep - also triggers neural oscillations in those structures. We have proposed that one of the functions of active sleep in early infancy is to provide a context for synchronizing developing structures. Specifically, neural oscillations contribute to a variety of neurodevelopmental processes, including synapse formation, neuronal differentiation and migration, apoptosis, and the refinement of topographic maps. In addition, synchronized oscillations promote functional connectivity between distant brain areas. Consequently, any condition or manipulation that restricts active sleep can, in turn, deprive the infant animal of substantial sensory experience, resulting in atypical developmental trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52242, Iowa, USA
- Delta Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52242, Iowa, USA
| | - Mark S Blumberg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52242, Iowa, USA
- Delta Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52242, Iowa, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52245, Iowa, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52242, Iowa, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52242, Iowa, USA
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43
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Blumberg MS, Dooley JC. Phantom Limbs, Neuroprosthetics, and the Developmental Origins of Embodiment. Trends Neurosci 2018; 40:603-612. [PMID: 28843655 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Amputees who wish to rid themselves of a phantom limb must weaken the neural representation of the absent limb. Conversely, amputees who wish to replace a lost limb must assimilate a neuroprosthetic with the existing neural representation. Whether we wish to remove a phantom limb or assimilate a synthetic one, we will benefit from knowing more about the developmental process that enables embodiment. A potentially critical contributor to that process is the spontaneous activity - in the form of limb twitches - that occurs exclusively and abundantly during active (REM) sleep, a particularly prominent state in early development. The sensorimotor circuits activated by twitching limbs, and the developmental context in which activation occurs, could provide a roadmap for creating neuroprosthetics that feel as if they are part of the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark S Blumberg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA; Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
| | - James C Dooley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
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44
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Szuperak M, Churgin MA, Borja AJ, Raizen DM, Fang-Yen C, Kayser MS. A sleep state in Drosophila larvae required for neural stem cell proliferation. eLife 2018; 7:33220. [PMID: 29424688 PMCID: PMC5834245 DOI: 10.7554/elife.33220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep during development is involved in refining brain circuitry, but a role for sleep in the earliest periods of nervous system elaboration, when neurons are first being born, has not been explored. Here we identify a sleep state in Drosophila larvae that coincides with a major wave of neurogenesis. Mechanisms controlling larval sleep are partially distinct from adult sleep: octopamine, the Drosophila analog of mammalian norepinephrine, is the major arousal neuromodulator in larvae, but dopamine is not required. Using real-time behavioral monitoring in a closed-loop sleep deprivation system, we find that sleep loss in larvae impairs cell division of neural progenitors. This work establishes a system uniquely suited for studying sleep during nascent periods, and demonstrates that sleep in early life regulates neural stem cell proliferation. Nearly all animals sleep more while they are still developing, suggesting that sleep is important in early life. Previous studies have shown that sleep may be required for building connections in the brain. However, it has been difficult to study the effects of sleep in earlier stages of brain development, when stem cells divide to create brain cells in a process known as “neurogenesis”. This is partly because, in mammals, most neurogenesis occurs in the womb. Scientists have successfully studied sleep using the common fruit fly. But these studies have so far focused on adult flies, in which neurogenesis is mostly complete. Fly larvae, on the other hand, are widely used to study brain development and neurogenesis. Compared to mammals in the womb, fruit fly larvae are very easy to access and manipulate. However, unlike adult flies, no one had previously looked to see if larvae even display a behaviour that would fit the definition of sleep. To see if fruit fly larvae do sleep, Szuperak et al. created the “LarvaLodge”, an apparatus in which individual larvae can be housed while having their activity monitored over time. In these lodges, a bright light was used to test how hard it is to arouse inactive fruit fly larvae, and further experiments asked what happens when larvae are prevented from resting. Then, to look at neurogenesis in the larvae, Szuperak et al. used a stain that labels dividing stem cells within the nervous system. Those cells could then be seen and counted when a larva was dissected and examined under a microscope. The results from the LarvaLodge showed that fruit fly larvae do indeed sleep: they have extended periods of rest during which they react less to outside disturbances and adopt a particular posture (they retract their heads towards their bodies). Also when larvae were deprived of sleep, by shining a light or shaking, they compensated by sleeping more afterwards. Importantly, depriving the larvae of sleep also led to lower levels of neurogenesis. These findings establish the fruit fly larva as a new and useful system for studying the role of sleep in early development, and may help shed light on the role sleep plays in disorders affecting brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Szuperak
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Matthew A Churgin
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Austin J Borja
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - David M Raizen
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Chronobiology Program, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Christopher Fang-Yen
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Matthew S Kayser
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Chronobiology Program, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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45
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Dove AE, Cook BL, Irgebay Z, Vecsey CG. Mechanisms of sleep plasticity due to sexual experience in Drosophila melanogaster. Physiol Behav 2017; 180:146-158. [PMID: 28851647 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Sleep can be altered by an organism's previous experience. For instance, female Drosophila melanogaster experience a post-mating reduction in daytime sleep that is purportedly mediated by sex peptide (SP), one of many seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) transferred from male to female during mating. In the present study, we first characterized this mating effect on sleep more fully, as it had previously only been tested in young flies under 12h light/12h dark conditions. We found that mating reduced sleep equivalently in 3-day-old or 14-day-old females, and could even occur in females who had been mated previously, suggesting that there is not a developmental critical period for the suppression of sleep by mating. In conditions of constant darkness, circadian rhythms were not affected by prior mating. In either constant darkness or constant light, the sleep reduction due to mating was no longer confined to the subjective day but could be observed throughout the 24-hour period. This suggests that the endogenous clock may dictate the timing of when the mating effect on sleep is expressed. We recently reported that genetic elimination of SP only partially blocked the post-mating female siesta sleep reduction, suggesting that the effect was unlikely to be governed solely by SP. We found here that the daytime sleep reduction was also reduced but not eliminated in females mated to mutant males lacking the vast majority of SFPs. This suggested that SFPs other than SP play a minimal role in the mating effect on sleep, and that additional non-SFP signals from the male might be involved. Males lacking sperm were able to induce a normal initial mating effect on female sleep, although the effect declined more rapidly in these females. This result indicated that neither the presence of sperm within the female reproductive tract nor female impregnation are required for the initial mating effect on sleep to occur, although sperm may serve to prolong the effect. Finally, we tested for contributions from other aspects of the mating experience. NorpA and eya2 mutants with disrupted vision showed normal mating effects on sleep. By separating males from females with a mesh, we found that visual and olfactory stimuli from male exposure, in the absence of physical contact, could not replicate the mating effect. Further, in ken/barbie male flies lacking external genitalia, courtship and physical contact without ejaculation were also unable to replicate the mating effect. These findings confirmed that the influence of mating on sleep does in fact require male/female contact including copulation, but may not be mediated exclusively by SP transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail E Dove
- Biology Department, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, United States
| | - Brianne L Cook
- Neuroscience Program, Skidmore College, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, United States
| | - Zhazira Irgebay
- Biology Department, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, United States
| | - Christopher G Vecsey
- Biology Department, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, United States; Neuroscience Program, Skidmore College, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, United States.
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Sleeping Beauty? Developmental Timing, Sleep, and the Circadian Clock in Caenorhabditis elegans. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2017; 97:43-80. [PMID: 28838356 DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2017.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The genetics toolkit is pretty successful in drilling down into minutiae. The big challenge is to integrate the information from this specialty as well as those of biochemistry, physiology, behavior, and anatomy to explain how fundamental biological processes really work. Sleep, the circadian clock and development all qualify as overarching processes that encompass levels from molecule to behavior as part of their known mechanisms. They overlap each other, such that understanding the mechanisms of one can lead to insights into one of the others. In this essay, we consider how the experimental approaches and findings relating to Caenorhabditis elegans development and lethargus on one hand, and to the circadian clock and sleep in higher organisms on the other, could complement and enhance one another.
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47
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Mukherjee D, Yonk AJ, Sokoloff G, Blumberg MS. Wakefulness suppresses retinal wave-related neural activity in visual cortex. J Neurophysiol 2017; 118:1190-1197. [PMID: 28615335 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00264.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In the developing visual system before eye opening, spontaneous retinal waves trigger bursts of neural activity in downstream structures, including visual cortex. At the same ages when retinal waves provide the predominant input to the visual system, sleep is the predominant behavioral state. However, the interactions between behavioral state and retinal wave-driven activity have never been explicitly examined. Here we characterized unit activity in visual cortex during spontaneous sleep-wake cycles in 9- and 12-day-old rats. At both ages, cortical activity occurred in discrete rhythmic bursts, ~30-60 s apart, mirroring the timing of retinal waves. Interestingly, when pups spontaneously woke up and moved their limbs in the midst of a cortical burst, the activity was suppressed. Finally, experimentally evoked arousals also suppressed intraburst cortical activity. All together, these results indicate that active wake interferes with the activation of the developing visual cortex by retinal waves. They also suggest that sleep-wake processes can modulate visual cortical plasticity at earlier ages than has been previously considered.NEW & NOTEWORTHY By recording in visual cortex in unanesthetized infant rats, we show that neural activity attributable to retinal waves is specifically suppressed when pups spontaneously awaken or are experimentally aroused. These findings suggest that the relatively abundant sleep of early development plays a permissive functional role for the visual system. It follows, then, that biological or environmental factors that disrupt sleep may interfere with the development of these neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didhiti Mukherjee
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.,DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Alex J Yonk
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Greta Sokoloff
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.,DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Mark S Blumberg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; .,Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.,Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and.,DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
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48
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Del Rio-Bermudez C, Kim J, Sokoloff G, Blumberg MS. Theta Oscillations during Active Sleep Synchronize the Developing Rubro-Hippocampal Sensorimotor Network. Curr Biol 2017; 27:1413-1424.e4. [PMID: 28479324 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.03.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal oscillations comprise a fundamental mechanism by which distant neural structures establish and express functional connectivity. Long-range functional connectivity between the hippocampus and other forebrain structures is enabled by theta oscillations. Here, we show for the first time that the infant rat red nucleus (RN)-a brainstem sensorimotor structure-exhibits theta (4-7 Hz) oscillations restricted primarily to periods of active (REM) sleep. At postnatal day 8 (P8), theta is expressed as brief bursts immediately following myoclonic twitches; by P12, theta oscillations are expressed continuously across bouts of active sleep. Simultaneous recordings from the hippocampus and RN at P12 show that theta oscillations in both structures are coherent, co-modulated, and mutually interactive during active sleep. Critically, at P12, inactivation of the medial septum eliminates theta in both structures. The developmental emergence of theta-dependent functional coupling between the hippocampus and RN parallels that between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Accordingly, disruptions in the early expression of theta could underlie the cognitive and sensorimotor deficits associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Jangjin Kim
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Greta Sokoloff
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Mark S Blumberg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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49
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Schwarz J, Bringmann H. Analysis of the NK2 homeobox gene ceh-24 reveals sublateral motor neuron control of left-right turning during sleep. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28244369 PMCID: PMC5384828 DOI: 10.7554/elife.24846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep is a behavior that is found in all animals that have a nervous system and that have been studied carefully. In Caenorhabditis elegans larvae, sleep is associated with a turning behavior, called flipping, in which animals rotate 180° about their longitudinal axis. However, the molecular and neural substrates of this enigmatic behavior are not known. Here, we identified the conserved NK-2 homeobox gene ceh-24 to be crucially required for flipping. ceh-24 is required for the formation of processes and for cholinergic function of sublateral motor neurons, which separately innervate the four body muscle quadrants. Knockdown of cholinergic function in a subset of these sublateral neurons, the SIAs, abolishes flipping. The SIAs depolarize during flipping and their optogenetic activation induces flipping in a fraction of events. Thus, we identified the sublateral SIA neurons to control the three-dimensional movements of flipping. These neurons may also control other types of motion. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24846.001 Although sleeping individuals do not move voluntarily, they are not completely immobile. Both people and animals regularly change position in their sleep, but it is not known why these movements occur or what regulates them. One of the simplest animals known to require sleep is the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, which is often used by researchers to study the molecular basis of behavior. In common with more complex animals, worms go to sleep lying on either their left or right side and then switch periodically between the two. This “flipping” behavior is typically not seen outside of sleep. By screening worms with mutations in different genes, Schwarz and Bringmann identified one mutant that does not flip during sleep. The mutant lacked a gene called ceh-24, which is normally active in a set of four neurons known as SIAs. These are a type of motor neuron; that is, neurons that control the contraction of muscles. The body wall muscles of C. elegans run along the length of its body and are organized into “quadrants” that each cover a quarter of the worm. Schwarz and Bringmann show that unlike other C. elegans motor neurons, SIA neurons control each quadrant separately. By activating specific SIA neurons the worms can contract the muscles on each side of the body independently, and thereby flip from one side to the other. Further investigation revealed that the SIA motor neurons can also control other types of complex movement. Additional experiments are now needed to determine how the neurons support these behaviors. Another challenge will be to work out the purpose of posture changes during sleep for C. elegans and other animals. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24846.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Schwarz
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Henrik Bringmann
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
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Vigerust DJ. The enigma of sleep. FUTURE NEUROLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.2217/fnl-2016-0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Sleep has a critical role in promoting and maintaining neurological health and organismal homeostasis. Research over the past 135 years has brought significant understanding on various aspects of sleep biology; however, many questions still remain around the role and function of sleep. Sleep clearly has a powerful influence on infectious disease, cardiovascular health and neurological disorders. During the modern age, the majority of investigation into sleep has focused on identifying the biological factors underlying the effect of sleep on various pathological conditions. Disorders of sleep have the power to affect neuroimmunity, cognition and the development of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and autism. This present short review will highlight these factors affecting sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Vigerust
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Department of Neurological Surgery, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
- MyGenetx Clinical Laboratories, 201 Jordan Rd, Suite 100, Franklin, TN 37067, USA
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