Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation02:19

Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation

The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent years,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Enhancement of sleep slow wave activity using transcranial electrical stimulation with temporal interference: an interim analysis of the STRENGTHEN study.

Communications medicine·2026
Same author

Induction of cortical on/off periods in awake mice fulfills sleep functions.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same author

A hippocampal 'sharp-wave sleep' state that is dissociable from cortical sleep.

Nature neuroscience·2025
Same author

Induction of cortical ON/OFF periods in awake mice fulfills sleep functions.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Sleep and experience-dependent visual plasticity in the adult cerebral cortex: an update.

Sleep·2025
Same author

Comments on Brodin et al. "Sleep deprivation and dendritic architecture: a systematic review and meta-analysis."

Sleep·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

The Sleep Nullifying Apparatus: A Highly Efficient Method of Sleep Depriving Drosophila
06:06

The Sleep Nullifying Apparatus: A Highly Efficient Method of Sleep Depriving Drosophila

Published on: December 14, 2020

From genetics to structure to function: exploring sleep in Drosophila.

Daniel Bushey1, Chiara Cirelli

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, 6001 Research Park Blvd.Madison, WI 53719, USA.

International Review of Neurobiology
|September 13, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Sleep is vital for all animals, despite its risks. Research in fruit flies suggests sleep is essential for synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory, linking sleep needs to brain changes during wakefulness.

More Related Videos

High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster
05:59

High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: October 20, 2023

Assaying Locomotor Activity to Study Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Parameters in Drosophila
18:08

Assaying Locomotor Activity to Study Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Parameters in Drosophila

Published on: September 28, 2010

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 29, 2026

The Sleep Nullifying Apparatus: A Highly Efficient Method of Sleep Depriving Drosophila
06:06

The Sleep Nullifying Apparatus: A Highly Efficient Method of Sleep Depriving Drosophila

Published on: December 14, 2020

High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster
05:59

High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: October 20, 2023

Assaying Locomotor Activity to Study Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Parameters in Drosophila
18:08

Assaying Locomotor Activity to Study Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Parameters in Drosophila

Published on: September 28, 2010

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sleep Science
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Sleep is a conserved behavior across species, characterized by reduced responsiveness.
  • The adaptive challenges of sleep suggest a critical, yet unidentified, underlying function.
  • Despite its universality, the precise function of sleep remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the molecular mechanisms and brain structures regulating sleep in Drosophila melanogaster.
  • To identify genes and neuronal groups crucial for initiating and maintaining sleep.
  • To explore the relationship between sleep, synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism due to its genetic tractability.
  • Employing forward genetic screens to identify genes affecting sleep.
  • Manipulating gene expression in specific brain regions, particularly the mushroom bodies (MBs).

Main Results:

  • Several sleep-regulating genes identified are involved in synaptic plasticity.
  • These genes show preferential expression in the mushroom bodies (MBs).
  • Altering neuronal activity in MBs directly impacts sleep patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep is strongly linked to synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory.
  • Genes influencing sleep in flies are also critical for learning and memory.
  • Findings in Drosophila support a conserved role for sleep in brain plasticity across species.