| First Author | Schott AL | Year | 2023 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 3922 |
| PubMed ID | 37400467 | Mgi Jnum | J:337831 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7508530 | Doi | 10.1038/s41467-023-39496-0 |
| Citation | Schott AL, et al. (2023) A medullary hub for controlling REM sleep and pontine waves. Nat Commun 14(1):3922 |
| abstractText | Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep is a distinct behavioral state associated with vivid dreaming and memory processing. Phasic bursts of electrical activity, measurable as spike-like pontine (P)-waves, are a hallmark of REM sleep implicated in memory consolidation. However, the brainstem circuits regulating P-waves, and their interactions with circuits generating REM sleep, remain largely unknown. Here, we show that an excitatory population of dorsomedial medulla (dmM) neurons expressing corticotropin-releasing-hormone (CRH) regulates both REM sleep and P-waves in mice. Calcium imaging showed that dmM CRH neurons are selectively activated during REM sleep and recruited during P-waves, and opto- and chemogenetic experiments revealed that this population promotes REM sleep. Chemogenetic manipulation also induced prolonged changes in P-wave frequency, while brief optogenetic activation reliably triggered P-waves along with transiently accelerated theta oscillations in the electroencephalogram (EEG). Together, these findings anatomically and functionally delineate a common medullary hub for the regulation of both REM sleep and P-waves. |
