期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2015
卷号：112
期号：2
页码：584-589
DOI：10.1073/pnas.1423136112
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：SignificanceRapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a critical component of restful sleep, yet the mechanisms that control REM sleep are incompletely understood. Brainstem cholinergic neurons have been implicated in REM sleep regulation, but heterogeneous cell types in the area have made it difficult to determine the specific role of each population, leading to a debate about the importance of cholinergic neurons. Therefore, we selectively activated brainstem cholinergic neurons to determine their role in REM sleep regulation. We found that activation of cholinergic neurons during non-REM sleep increased the number of REM sleep episodes but not REM sleep duration. Our data demonstrate that brainstem cholinergic neurons are important modulators of REM sleep and clarify their role in REM sleep initiation. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is an important component of the natural sleep/wake cycle, yet the mechanisms that regulate REM sleep remain incompletely understood. Cholinergic neurons in the mesopontine tegmentum have been implicated in REM sleep regulation, but lesions of this area have had varying effects on REM sleep. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the role of cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPT) and laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) in REM sleep generation. Selective optogenetic activation of cholinergic neurons in the PPT or LDT during non-REM (NREM) sleep increased the number of REM sleep episodes and did not change REM sleep episode duration. Activation of cholinergic neurons in the PPT or LDT during NREM sleep was sufficient to induce REM sleep.
