Neurohormonal and neuromodulatory control of sleep in Drosophila

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has emerged in recent years as a tractable system for studying sleep. The sleep-wake dichotomy represents one of the principal transitions in global brain state, and neurohormones and neuromodulators are well known for their ability to change global brain states. Here, we describe studies of two brain systems that regulate sleep in Drosophila, the neurohormonal epidermal growth factor receptor system and the neuromodulatory dopaminergic system, each of which acts through a discrete anatomical locus in the dorsal brain. Both control systems display considerable mechanistic similarity to those in mammals, suggesting possible functional homologies.