Sleep–wake states regulation: balance between genetically encoded stability and functional flexibility of hypothalamic neurons
Sleep and wakefulness are controlled by hypothalamic networks, but the stability of individual neurons was unknown. Using longitudinal recordings in freely moving mice, a team led by the Adamantidis lab (ZEN Program) has published a new study in Nature Communications showing that single-neuron preferences shifted across days, while the distribution of active neurons in each sleep state remained stable. Although sleep deprivation minimally affected the selectivity of these activity patterns, the sleep-promoting drug diazepam recruited NREM sleep-active cells that were previously inactive or wake-active. These findings indicate that while individual neurons exhibit dynamic, state-dependent shifts in their activity, the overall organization of sleep-wake neural populations remains stable.
