Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pao-Huan Chen, Cheng-Chih Chung, Shuen-Hsin Liu, Yu-Hsun Kao, Yi-Jen Chen
Summary: Lithium treatment can improve cardiac dysfunction caused by REM sleep deprivation and alleviate fibrosis. The potential mechanisms may involve the regulation of TGF-β, angiotensin II, and Ca2+ signaling.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Bibi A. Sulaman, Su Wang, Jean Tyan, Ada Eban-Rothschild
Summary: In recent years, technological advances have provided a detailed understanding of the functions of different neuronal populations and circuits in sleep-wake regulation. This article summarizes recent progress in the study of the circuitry underlying the initiation, maintenance, and coordination of different sleep states. It proposes a de-arousal model for sleep initiation and discusses how brain processes related to thermoregulation, hunger, and fear intersect with sleep-wake circuits.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Rong Ren, Ye Zhang, Linghui Yang, Yuan Shi, Naima Covassin, Xiangdong Tang
Summary: This study aimed to quantify the independent association between arousals during REM/NREM sleep and prevalent hypertension. The results showed a significant dose-response relationship between arousal index during REM sleep and hypertension, while arousal index during NREM sleep was not a significant predictor of hypertension.
JOURNAL OF HYPERTENSION
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Luc Masset, Milan Nigam, Anne Ladarre, Marie Vidailhet, Smaranda Leu-Semenescu, Philippe Fossati, Isabelle Arnulf, Jean-Baptiste Maranci
Summary: Dreams during REM sleep can help reduce negative emotions, as shown by the study on emotional dynamics. Previous studies were limited to dream reports, but by studying individuals with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), researchers gained direct access to observe emotional dream behaviors. Analysis of 17 participants with RBD and 39.7 hours of REM sleep video revealed that emotional behaviors follow a biphasic temporal course, with an initial increase in frequency followed by a progressive decrease. Negative emotional behaviors occurred earlier than positive and neutral behaviors, and rapid succession of emotions of opposite valence was observed to prevent prolonged periods of negative emotions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yao Wang, Rong Guo, Bo Chen, Tanbin Rahman, Li Cai, Yizhi Li, Yan Dong, George C. Tseng, Jidong Fang, Marianne L. Seney, Yanhua H. Huang
Summary: Cocaine withdrawal leads to gene expression and electrophysiological changes in melanin-concentrating hormone neurons in the lateral hypothalamus, affecting REM sleep. Stimulation of these neurons enhances REM sleep quality and quantity after long-term withdrawal.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Norihiro Takakuwa, Kaoru Isa, Hirotaka Onoe, Jun Takahashi, Tadashi Isa
Summary: Blindsight is a phenomenon where some patients can respond to visual stimuli in their lesion-affected visual field even after damage to the primary visual cortex (V1). The study used pharmacological inactivation of the pulvinar and LGN to clarify their roles in a simple visually guided saccades task, finding that both regions play key roles in performing the task after V1 lesioning.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Han Qin, Ling Fu, Tingliang Jian, Wenjun Jin, Mengru Liang, Jin Li, Qianwei Chen, Xinyu Yang, Haoran Du, Xiang Liao, Kuan Zhang, Rui Wang, Shanshan Liang, Jiwei Yao, Bo Hu, Shuancheng Ren, Chunqing Zhang, Yanjiang Wang, Zhian Hu, Hongbo Jia, Arthur Konnerth, Xiaowei Chen
Summary: The hippocampal CA2 region is crucial for social memory, and sleep plays a vital role in the consolidation of social memory. Research has shown that hypothalamic neurons projecting to CA2 are highly active during REM sleep and silencing these neurons disrupts social memory consolidation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lin Wu, Yujie Wu, Jin Liu, Jingyao Jiang, Cheng Zhou, Donghang Zhang
Summary: The elevated excitability of glutamatergic neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (PBL) is found to be associated with the development of inflammatory pain. In this study, chemogenetic manipulation was used to explore the relationship between PBL glutamatergic neuron activity and pain thresholds. The results demonstrate that activation of PBL glutamatergic neurons decreases pain thresholds, while inhibition produces the opposite effect. The increased expression of C-Fos protein and NALCN in PBL glutamatergic neurons is also observed in the model of inflammatory pain.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Di Wang, Xiangyu Pan, Yu Zhou, Zifeng Wu, Kunpeng Ren, Hanyu Liu, Chaoli Huang, Yumei Yu, Teng He, Xiao Zhang, Ling Yang, Hongxing Zhang, Ming-Hu Han, Cunming Liu, Jun-Li Cao, Chun Yang
Summary: In this study, it was found that pain and anxiety comorbidities are a common health issue and the neural mechanisms underlying comorbidity are still unknown. The lateral septum (LS) was identified as a major brain region involved in processing both pain and anxiety. The activation of LS GABAergic neurons was found to induce hyperalgesia and anxiety-like behaviors, while the inhibition of these neurons reduced nocifensive withdrawal responses and anxiety behaviors.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Marcus O. Harrington, Jennifer E. Ashton, Hong-Viet V. Ngo, Scott A. Cairney
Summary: This study manipulated theta activity during sleep using auditory closed-loop stimulation, showing that stimulation led to a short-term increase in theta power followed by a prolonged suppression, as well as an increase in beta power. These results highlight the potential of auditory stimulation in investigating REM sleep electrophysiology and its impact on behavior.
Article
Biology
Brittany J. Bush, Caroline Donnay, Eva-Jenee A. Andrews, Darielle Lewis-Sanders, Cloe L. Gray, Zhimei Qiao, Allison J. Brager, Hadiya Johnson, Hamadi C. S. Brewer, Sahil Sood, Talib Saafir, Morris Benveniste, Ketema N. Paul, J. Christopher Ehlen
Summary: Resilience, the ability to overcome stressful conditions, varies significantly among individuals and is influenced by sleep amount and sleep regulation in the prefrontal cortex.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Cole D. Stang, Aidan F. Mullan, Mania Hajeb, Emanuele Camerucci, Pierpaolo Turcano, Peter Martin, Michelle M. Mielke, Keith A. Josephs, James H. Bower, Erik K. St Louis, Bradley F. Boeve, Rodolfo Savica
Summary: The study revealed that the prevalence of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) increased over time in patients with alpha-synucleinopathies, with higher likelihood of developing RBD in male patients. However, RBD did not increase mortality risk within the cohort.
ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Jiso Hong, David E. Lozano, Kevin T. Beier, Shinjae Chung, Franz Weber
Summary: This study reveals the important role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in promoting REM sleep through its projections to the lateral hypothalamus. It demonstrates that cortical neurons can trigger REM sleep and regulate phasic events during this sleep stage.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Carlos M. O. de Almeida, Manuelina M. C. Brito, Nayanne B. Bosaipo, Angela V. Pimentel, Vitor Tumas, Antonio W. Zuardi, Jose A. S. Crippa, Jaime E. C. Hallak, Alan L. Eckeli
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of CBD as an alternative therapy for RBD in patients with Parkinson's disease. While CBD did not show significant differences compared to placebo for primary outcomes, there was a transient improvement in sleep satisfaction observed with a 300mg dose.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Weijun Huang, Xiaoman Zhang, Xiaoting Wang, Tianjiao Zhou, Xiaolong Zhao, Huajun Xu, Xinyi Li, Jian Guan, Hongliang Yi, Shankai Yin
Summary: In our large-scale study, we found that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is correlated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction. This correlation was assessed using standard polysomnography (PSG) to measure OSA and heart rate variability (HRV) to evaluate cardiac autonomic dysfunction. Our study also found that a higher apnea-hypopnea index during REM sleep (AHIREM) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Mediation analysis showed that this association is mediated by the ratio of low-frequency and high-frequency (LF/HF) and low frequency in normalized units (LF (n.u.)). These findings suggest that OSA during REM sleep may be a marker for increased CVD risk due to its impact on cardiac autonomic dysfunction.
JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH
(2023)