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Paradoxical somatodendritic decoupling supports cortical plasticity during REM sleep
Mattia Aime1,2, Niccolò Calcini1,2, Micaela Borsa1,2
1Zentrum für Experimentelle Neurologie, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 13, 2022
Summary
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep decouples neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex. This process optimizes emotional memory consolidation by shifting inhibitory balance, enhancing future stress responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Memory Consolidation
Background:
- Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is crucial for emotional memory consolidation.
- The specific neocortical circuits and synaptic mechanisms driving this process remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the neural circuits and synaptic mechanisms underlying REM sleep's role in emotional memory consolidation.
- To investigate the function of somatodendritic decoupling in prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons during REM sleep.
Main Methods:
- Utilized optogenetic techniques to manipulate neuronal activity during REM sleep.
- Investigated changes in inhibitory balance involving parvalbumin and vasoactive intestinal peptide neurons.
- Assessed effects on associative learning, danger-versus-safety discrimination, and synaptic plasticity.
Main Results:
- REM sleep induces somatodendritic decoupling in prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons.
- This decoupling involves a shift in inhibitory balance, driven by central medial thalamus inputs.
- Optogenetic suppression of dendritic activity impaired discrimination and plasticity, while releasing somatic inhibition enhanced them.
Conclusions:
- Somatodendritic decoupling during REM sleep facilitates distinct synaptic plasticity mechanisms.
- These mechanisms are essential for optimizing emotional responses to future behavioral stressors.
- The findings reveal a novel role for REM sleep in adaptive emotional memory processing.
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