A subclass of evening cells promotes the switch from arousal to sleep at dusk.

ABSTRACT: Animals exhibit rhythmic patterns of behavior that are shaped by an internal circadian clock and the external environment. Although light intensity varies across the day, there are particularly robust differences at twilight (dawn/dusk). These periods are also associated with major changes in behavioral states, such as the transition from arousal to sleep. However, the neural mechanisms by which time and environmental conditions promote these behavioral transitions are poorly defined. Here, we show that the E1 subclass of Drosophila evening clock neurons promotes the transition from arousal to sleep at dusk. We first demonstrate that the cell-autonomous clocks of E2 neurons primarily drive and adjust the phase of evening anticipation, the canonical behavior associated with "evening" clock

SUBMITTER: Brown MP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11111347 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature