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Selective activation of cholinergic basal forebrain neurons induces immediate sleep-wake transitions.
- Source :
-
Current biology : CB [Curr Biol] 2014 Mar 17; Vol. 24 (6), pp. 693-8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Mar 06. - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- The basal forebrain (BF) plays a crucial role in cortical activation [1, 2]. However, the exact role of cholinergic BF (ch-BF) neurons in the sleep-wake cycle remains unclear [3, 4]. We demonstrated that photostimulation of ch-BF neurons genetically targeted with channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) was sufficient to induce an immediate transition to waking or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep from slow-wave sleep (SWS). Light stimulation was most likely to induce behavioral arousal during SWS, but not during REM sleep, a result in contrast to the previously reported photostimulation of noradrenergic or hypocretin neurons that induces wake transitions from both SWS and REM sleep. Furthermore, the ratio of light-induced transitions from SWS to wakefulness or to REM sleep did not significantly differ from that of natural transitions, suggesting that activation of ch-BF neurons facilitates the transition from SWS but does not change the direction of the transition. Excitation of ch-BF neurons during wakefulness or REM sleep sustained the cortical activation. Stimulation of these neurons for 1 hr induced a delayed increase in the duration of wakefulness in the subsequent inactive period. Our results suggest that activation of ch-BF neurons alone is sufficient to suppress SWS and promote wakefulness and REM sleep.<br /> (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1879-0445
- Volume :
- 24
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Current biology : CB
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 24613308
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.02.011