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Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice
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Hypothalamic Neurons that Regulate Feeding Can Influence Sleep/Wake States Based on Homeostatic Need
Nitsan Goldstein1, Brian J Levine1, Kelsey A Loy1
1Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA.
Current Biology : CB
|November 26, 2018
Summary
Brain circuits controlling hunger and satiety directly influence sleep. Agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons promote wakefulness, while pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons promote sleep, demonstrating hierarchical control over behavior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Research
- Metabolism
Background:
- Eating and sleeping are mutually exclusive behaviors driven by distinct homeostatic needs.
- Hormones regulating energy balance, like ghrelin and leptin, influence sleep-wake states.
- The role of specific neural populations in the hypothalamus regulating feeding on sleep remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if neuronal populations in the arcuate nucleus that regulate feeding influence sleep/wake states.
- To test if Agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons promote wakefulness and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons promote sleep.
Main Methods:
- Utilized optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques in mice to stimulate or inhibit specific neuronal populations.
- Measured changes in sleep quantity, integrity, and wakefulness.
- Assessed the impact of sleep deprivation on feeding-related neural activity.
Main Results:
- Stimulation of AgRP neurons increased wakefulness and reduced sleep quantity and integrity.
- Inhibition of AgRP neurons improved sleep in food-deprived mice, showing hunger's role in suppressing sleep.
- Stimulation of POMC neurons promoted sleep and reduced fragmentation, even during food deprivation.
- Sleep deprivation lessened the impact of AgRP neuron activity on food intake and wakefulness.
Conclusions:
- Homeostatic feeding neurons in the arcuate nucleus hierarchically regulate sleep and wakefulness.
- AgRP neurons promote wakefulness, while POMC neurons promote sleep, demonstrating a direct link between feeding circuits and sleep regulation.
- The influence of these neurons on behavior is context-dependent, modulated by homeostatic needs like sleep deprivation.
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