Brain Circuitry Controlling Sleep and Wakefulness

This article outlines the fundamental brain mechanisms that control sleep-wake patterns and reviews how pathologic changes in these control mechanisms contribute to common sleep disorders.

Discrete but interconnected clusters of cells located within the brainstem and hypothalamus comprise the circuits that generate wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep, and REM sleep. These clusters of cells use specific neurotransmitters, or collections of neurotransmitters, to inhibit or excite their respective sleep- and wake-promoting target sites. These excitatory and inhibitory connections modulate not only the presence of wakefulness or sleep, but also the levels of arousal within those states, including the depth of sleep, degree of vigilance, and motor activity. Dysfunction or degeneration of wake- and sleep-promoting circuits is associated with narcolepsy, REM sleep behavior disorder, and age-related sleep disturbances.

Research has made significant headway in identifying the brain circuits that control wakefulness, non-REM, and REM sleep and has led to a deeper understanding of common sleep disorders and disturbances.