A role for the cortex in sleep-wake regulation
The cortex and subcortical circuitry are thought to play distinct roles in the generation of sleep oscillations and global control of vigilance states. Here we silenced a subset of cortical layer 5 pyramidal and dentate gyrus granule cells in mice using a cell-specific ablation of the key t-SNARE protein SNAP25. We found a marked increase in wakefulness accompanied by a reduced rebound of EEG slow-wave activity after sleep deprivation. Our data illustrates an important role for the cortex in both global state control and sleep homeostasis.
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