A Neuronal Hub Binding Sleep Initiation and Body Cooling in Response to a Warm External Stimulus

Current Biology : CB
Edward C HardingNicholas P Franks

Abstract

Mammals, including humans, prepare for sleep by nesting and/or curling up, creating microclimates of skin warmth. To address whether external warmth induces sleep through defined circuitry, we used c-Fos-dependent activity tagging, which captures populations of activated cells and allows them to be reactivated to test their physiological role. External warming tagged two principal groups of neurons in the median preoptic (MnPO)/medial preoptic (MPO) hypothalamic area. GABA neurons located mainly in MPO produced non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep but no body temperature decrease. Nitrergic-glutamatergic neurons in MnPO-MPO induced both body cooling and NREM sleep. This circuitry explains how skin warming induces sleep and why the maximal rate of core body cooling positively correlates with sleep onset. Thus, the pathways that promote NREM sleep, reduced energy expenditure, and body cooling are inextricably linked, commanded by the same neurons. This implies that one function of NREM sleep is to lower brain temperature and/or conserve energy.

Citations

Dec 19, 2018·Nature Neuroscience·Xiao YuWilliam Wisden
May 21, 2019·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Edward C HardingWilliam Wisden
Oct 2, 2019·Frontiers in Physiology·Esteban J Beckwith, Alice S French
Jan 25, 2020·Science·William Wisden, Nicholas P Franks
May 14, 2020·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Viviana Lo MartireGiovanna Zoccoli
Jun 13, 2020·Nature·Sinisa HrvatinMichael E Greenberg
Jan 31, 2019·Annual Review of Neuroscience·Danqian Liu, Yang Dan
Mar 2, 2021·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Sarah L Reitz, Max B Kelz
Nov 20, 2019·Current Biology : CB·Max B Kelz, George A Mashour
Apr 20, 2021·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Yousuke Tsuneoka, Hiromasa Funato
May 12, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Tongfei A WangLily Yeh Jan
May 22, 2021·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Brian A UptonRichard A Lang
May 27, 2021·Cell Metabolism·Ramón A PiñolMarc L Reitman
Jun 19, 2021·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Matteo CerriRoberto Amici
Jul 4, 2020·Current Opinion in Physiology·Edward C HardingWilliam Wisden
Aug 10, 2021·Frontiers in Psychiatry·Sarina von SalisSusanne Fischer
Sep 25, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Shu K E TamStuart N Peirson
Oct 29, 2021·Science·Nicholas P Franks, William Wisden
Nov 4, 2021·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·Kazuhiro NakamuraNaoya Kataoka

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