Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
08:44
Electrocorticographic Recording of Cerebral Cortex Areas Manipulated Using an Adeno-Associated Virus Targeting Cofilin in Mice
Published on: February 21, 2021
4.3K
Sleep maintains excitatory synapse diversity in the cortex and hippocampus
Dimitra Koukaroudi1, Zhen Qiu2, Erik Fransén3
1Genes to Cognition Program, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK.
Current Biology : CB
|August 3, 2024
Summary
Sleep deprivation selectively reduces synapse diversity in the mouse brain, impacting specific synapse subtypes. This disruption affects neural oscillations, highlighting sleep's role in maintaining cognitive function by preserving brain synaptome architecture.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Synaptic Plasticity
- Sleep Research
Background:
- Insufficient sleep is a global health issue impacting cognition and mental health.
- Synapses are critical for cognitive functions like memory consolidation during sleep.
- Sleep deprivation's effects on synapse protein composition and number are debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of sleep deprivation on the brain's synaptome architecture.
- To identify specific synapse types and subtypes affected by sleep loss.
- To understand how sleep deprivation alters synaptic function and neural oscillations.
Main Methods:
- Performed synaptome mapping of excitatory synapses across 125 regions in the mouse brain.
- Analyzed changes in synapse protein composition and diversity following sleep deprivation.
- Assessed the relationship between altered synaptome architecture and neural oscillation responses.
Main Results:
- Sleep deprivation selectively reduced synapse diversity in the cortex and hippocampus (CA1 region).
- Specific excitatory synapse types and subtypes were targeted, while overall synapse density remained constant.
- Synapse subtypes with longer protein lifetimes showed resilience to sleep deprivation.
- The altered synaptome architecture influenced neural oscillation responses.
Conclusions:
- Sleep deprivation disrupts the brain's synaptome architecture by reducing synapse diversity.
- Synapse resilience to sleep loss correlates with protein lifetime.
- Maintaining synaptome architecture through adequate sleep is vital for preserving cognitive function.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Overview of Synapses
2.2K
A synapse is a specialized structure where two neurons connect, allowing them to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. It is the point of communication between neurons. The term "synapse" is derived from the Greek word "synapsis," which means "conjunction." The entire process of neural communication revolves around the synapse. When activated, a neuron releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to...
2.2K
01:11Understanding Sleep
224
Sleep, an essential biological state, involves significant reductions in physical activity, sensory awareness, and interaction with the environment. This complex physiological process is primarily regulated by specific brain regions, notably the hypothalamus and pons, which govern the sleep-wake cycle or circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm, a nearly 24-hour cycle, is deeply influenced by environmental light cues. Light exposure directly affects the hypothalamus, which in turn regulates...
The circadian rhythm, a nearly 24-hour cycle, is deeply influenced by environmental light cues. Light exposure directly affects the hypothalamus, which in turn regulates...
224
01:03Long-term Depression
2.5K
Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...
2.5K
01:19Role of Hippocampus in Memory
200
The hippocampus, a critical brain structure, plays an essential role in memory processing, particularly in the formation and retrieval of memory. This small, seahorse-shaped region is located within the medial temporal lobe, with one hippocampus in each brain hemisphere. Experimental studies involving lesions in the hippocampi of rats have demonstrated significant impairments in tasks such as object recognition and maze navigation, indicating the hippocampus involvement in both recognition and...
200
01:23Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory
494
Neurotransmitters are integral to the brain's communication system, enabling neurons to transmit signals across synapses. This chemical exchange underpins various cognitive functions, including memory processes. The role of neurotransmitters in memory is multifaceted, influencing the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of memories through their action on different neural circuits.
Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is...
Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is...
494
01:29Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
9.9K
When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of...
9.9K