Sleep and vigilance states: Embracing spatiotemporal dynamics

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sleep Science
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• The traditional view posits sleep and vigilance states as globally stationary, governed by neuromodulators and thalamocortical interactions.
• Emerging evidence indicates that vigilance states are highly dynamic and regionally heterogeneous, challenging the classic perspective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the traditional global-stationary view of sleep and vigilance states.
• To highlight the dynamic and regionally complex nature of vigilance states.
• To explore the implications of a new spatiotemporal perspective on neuromodulation and sleep function.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of recent data challenging the classic view of vigilance states.
• Integration of knowledge from studies demonstrating regional complexity and temporal dynamics.
• Consideration of advanced methods for monitoring brain activity across multiple regions with millisecond resolution and cell-type specificity.

Main Results:

• Vigilance states exhibit significant spatial complexity, with sleep- and wake-like states co-occurring in distinct brain regions (e.g., unihemispheric sleep, local sleep).
• Temporal dynamics are prevalent, characterized by rapid switching around state transitions, during prolonged wakefulness, and in fragmented sleep.
• Simultaneous multi-regional brain activity monitoring at high temporal and cellular resolution supports a dynamic view.

Conclusions:

• A new perspective viewing vigilance states as modular and dynamic across multiple spatial and temporal scales is emerging.
• This dynamic view has significant implications for understanding neuromodulatory mechanisms and the functional roles of vigilance states.
• Novel avenues for precise spatiotemporal interventions to enhance sleep function are highlighted by this modular and dynamic perspective.