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Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice

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Published on: June 19, 2019

Brain circuitry mediating arousal from obstructive sleep apnea.

Nancy L Chamberlin¹

¹Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, United States.

Current Opinion in Neurobiology

|July 2, 2013

Summary

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) involves disrupted breathing during sleep. Understanding arousal mechanisms is key to developing treatments that maintain airway patency without sleep interruption.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Sleep Medicine
Respiratory Physiology

Background:

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by repetitive sleep disruptions due to airway obstruction.
While airway anatomy is a primary risk factor, arousal threshold and ventilatory control stability are also crucial.
Sleep arousals, though sometimes necessary for airway reopening, can paradoxically worsen OSA severity.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the poorly understood mechanisms underlying sleep arousal in the context of OSA.
To identify neural pathways and neurotransmitters involved in arousal responses.
To explore potential therapeutic targets for maintaining airway patency during sleep without causing arousals.

Main Methods:

Investigating neural substrates for arousal, focusing on the parabrachial complex (PB).
Examining the role of neurotransmitters like serotonin in arousal mechanisms.
Analyzing the contribution of glutamatergic signaling from the PB to arousal induced by hypercapnia.

Main Results:

Recent research has identified the parabrachial complex (PB) as a significant neural substrate for arousal.
Glutamatergic signaling within the PB plays a role in hypercapnia-induced arousal, a stimulus relevant to OSA.
Serotonin's critical role in arousal is established, though its precise site of action remains unknown.

Conclusions:

Understanding the neural basis of arousal is essential for developing novel OSA treatments.
Targeting specific neural pathways, such as those involving the PB, may offer new therapeutic strategies.
Future research aims to maintain airway patency during sleep, thereby preventing sleep interruptions and improving OSA management.