Chronic social isolation signals starvation and reduces sleep in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Social isolation and loneliness have potent effects on public health^1-4. Research in social psychology suggests that compromised sleep quality is a key factor that links persistent loneliness to adverse health conditions^5,6. Although experimental manipulations have been widely applied to studying the control of sleep and wakefulness in animal models, how normal sleep is perturbed by social isolation is unknown. Here we report that chronic, but not acute, social isolation reduces sleep in Drosophila. We use quantitative behavioural analysis and transcriptome profiling to differentiate between brain states associated with acute and chronic social isolation. Although the flies had uninterrupted access to food, chronic social isolation altered the expression of metabolic

SUBMITTER: Li W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8429171 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature