Physiological analysis of a novel sleep-regulatory neuron

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K18358
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Kanda Takeshi 筑波大学, 国際統合睡眠医科学研究機構, 助教 (00599821)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 睡眠

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sleep is a universal and essential physiological phenomenon in the animal kingdom. Although technological developments allow us to discover several sleep/wake-regulatory neurons in the brain, the combination of these known components cannot yet fully explain regulation of the sleep/wake cycles. In this study, I attempted to randomly search for a novel sleep/wake-regulatory neuronal population in the brain sites overlooked in previous research using site- and cell-type-specific neuron activity manipulation techniques. Targeted cell types were glutamatergic, GABArgic, and glycinergic neurons. I found that there were unknown neurons that controls the sleep/wake transitions in a part of the medulla.

Free Research Field

神経生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

睡眠は全身性の生理現象であり、その制御は脳が行う。そして、脳自体も睡眠の影響を受け、特殊な活動モードに入る。また、睡眠は脳の一部でなく全体が制御にも機能にも関わる。睡眠の制御と機能の実態は難解である。本研究はその難解なパズルを未知のピースを見つけることで、その解明を一歩進めた。睡眠は単に身体の休息でなく、代謝、免疫、精神状態にも深く影響する。そのため、睡眠の障害はこれらの機能障害、つまり疾患につながる。本研究の成果はこのような睡眠障害に伴う疾患の予防にもつながるはずである。