Delayed orexin signaling consolidates wakefulness and sleep: physiology and modeling.

ABSTRACT: Orexin-producing neurons are clearly essential for the regulation of wakefulness and sleep because loss of these cells produces narcolepsy. However, little is understood about how these neurons dynamically interact with other wake- and sleep-regulatory nuclei to control behavioral states. Using survival analysis of wake bouts in wild-type and orexin knockout mice, we found that orexins are necessary for the maintenance of long bouts of wakefulness, but orexin deficiency has little impact on wake bouts <1 min. Since orexin neurons often begin firing several seconds before the onset of waking, this suggests a surprisingly delayed onset (>1 min) of functional effects. This delay has important implications for understanding the control of wakefulness and sleep because increasing evidence sugge

SUBMITTER: Diniz Behn CG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3065358 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature