Work

The hypocretins as sensors for metabolism and arousal

Year: 2008

Type: review

Abstract: Sleep disturbances are associated with hormonal imbalances and may result in metabolic disorders including obesity and diabetes. Therefore, circuits controlling both sleep and metabolism are likely to play a role in these physiopathological conditions. The hypocretin (Hcrt) system is a strong candidate for mediating both sleep and metabolic imbalances because Hcrt neurons are sensitive to metabolic hormones, including leptin and ghrelin, and modulate arousal and goal-orientated behaviours. This review discusses the role of Hcrt neurons as a sensors of energy balance and arousal and proposes new ways of probing local hypothalamic circuits regulating sleep and metabolism with unprecedented cellular specificity and temporal resolution.

Source: The Journal of Physiology

DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2008.164400

Authors: Antoine Adamantidis, Luis De Lecea

Institutions: Stanford Medicine, Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Sleep and Wakefulness Research

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Institute on Drug Abuse