The origins and evolution of sleep

Area of Science:

• Comparative physiology and evolutionary biology
• Neuroscience and sleep research

Background:

• Sleep is vital across the animal kingdom, yet its ecological drivers remain poorly understood.
• Poor sleep detrimentally affects development, cognition, and lifespan in various animal taxa.
• Sleep research spans traditional models (mammals) to emergent systems (e.g., *Aplysia*, jellyfish) and evolutionary models (e.g., fruit flies, cavefish).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how ecological factors and environmental changes influence sleep duration and timing.
• To investigate the conserved genetic mechanisms and fundamental functions of sleep regulation.
• To leverage genetic model systems to understand the relationship between ecology and sleep.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing classical and emergent genetic model organisms (e.g., nematode worm, zebrafish, *Aplysia*, fruit flies, cavefish).
• Analyzing natural genetic variation to study ecology-sleep relationships.
• Examining sleep regulation mechanisms in response to environmental perturbations.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated fundamental interactions between sleep and sensory processing across diverse taxa.
• Highlighted significant plasticity of sleep in response to environmental changes.
• Identified conserved genetic mechanisms underlying sleep regulation.

Conclusions:

• Sleep regulation is influenced by ecological factors and exhibits remarkable environmental plasticity.
• Studying diverse animal models provides critical insights into conserved sleep functions and mechanisms.
• Naturally occurring genetic variations in sleep may offer novel therapeutic targets for sleep disorders.