A sleep state in Drosophila larvae required for neural stem cell proliferation

Milan Szuperak, Matthew A. Churgin, Austin J. Borja, David M. Raizen, Christopher Fang-Yen, Matthew S. Kayser

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Sleep during development is involved in refining brain circuitry, but a role for sleep in the earliest periods of nervous system elaboration, when neurons are first being born, has not been explored. Here we identify a sleep state in Drosophila larvae that coincides with a major wave of neurogenesis. Mechanisms controlling larval sleep are partially distinct from adult sleep: octopamine, the Drosophila analog of mammalian norepinephrine, is the major arousal neuromodulator in larvae, but dopamine is not required. Using real-time behavioral monitoring in a closed-loop sleep deprivation system, we find that sleep loss in larvae impairs cell division of neural progenitors. This work establishes a system uniquely suited for studying sleep during nascent periods, and demonstrates that sleep in early life regulates neural stem cell proliferation.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere33220
JournaleLife
Volume7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018 Feb 9

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neuroscience(all)
  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
  • Immunology and Microbiology(all)

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