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Updated: Nov 12, 2025
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Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice
Published on: June 19, 2019
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Cortical astrocytes independently regulate sleep depth and duration via separate GPCR pathways
Trisha V Vaidyanathan1,2, Max Collard1, Sae Yokoyama2
1Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.
Elife
|March 17, 2021
Summary
Astrocytes regulate non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep by controlling its depth and duration. This research reveals how astrocyte signaling pathways influence distinct NREM sleep features across the cortex.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Astrocyte Biology
Background:
- Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is crucial for learning and memory.
- NREM sleep exhibits heterogeneity in duration, depth, and spatial distribution across the cortex.
- The regulation of these distinct NREM sleep features is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the astrocytic network in controlling cortical NREM sleep features.
- To determine how specific astrocytic G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathways influence NREM sleep.
Main Methods:
- Quantified endogenous astrocyte activity in mice during natural sleep and wakefulness.
- Manipulated astrocytic Gi- and Gq-coupled GPCR signaling pathways in vivo.
- Assessed differential changes in local and remote cortical activity.
Main Results:
- Astrocytic Gi-coupled GPCR signaling independently controls NREM sleep depth.
- Astrocytic Gq-coupled GPCR signaling independently controls NREM sleep duration.
- Astrocytic signaling induced differential effects on local versus remote cortical areas.
Conclusions:
- The cortical astrocyte network acts as a central hub for regulating distinct NREM sleep features.
- Specific astrocytic GPCR pathways differentially modulate NREM sleep depth and duration.
- Astrocyte signaling provides a mechanism for coordinating cortical activity during sleep.
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