Discovery of the brain's sleep key

Researchers have discovered nerve cells in the brainstem that play a key role in regulating the sensation of sleepiness and increasing its drive as wakefulness continues. It has been shown that the activity of "GABAergic" and "serotonergic" cells gradually increases during hours of wakefulness, then decreases with sleep, reflecting their responsibility for accumulating individual sleep pressure. When these cells are activated, the animals slept more and their sleep was deeper; conversely, disabling them by inhibiting their activity led to a reduction in sleep duration by up to 70%, while the animals remained awake longer. This demonstrates that these cells directly contribute to activating a strong desire to sleep when necessary. The findings indicate that the need for sleep is not solely linked to the period of wakefulness but is also directly influenced by specific neural mechanisms, opening new avenues for treating sleep disorders and understanding how the body adapts to chronic deprivation of rest.

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