Topic: nucleus tractus solitarius

Epilepsy, affecting over 70 million individuals worldwide, poses a significant risk of sudden death, known as SUDEP. The DEPDC5 gene is a common factor in familial focal epilepsy, with or without cortical malformations, and its pathogenic variants increase the susceptibility to SUDEP. This study aims to gain a mechanistic understanding of DEPDC5-related epilepsy and SUDEP, identify biomarkers for high-risk patients, and develop preventive interventions.Methods involved the targeted deletion of Depdc5 in nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) neurons in the mouse brainstem, followed by the administra

When awake, we perceive stimuli from the external world. When asleep, our brain disconnects from the sensory environment. In contrast to these exteroceptive stimuli, little is known about how interoceptive stimuli are processed by the sleeping brain. The vagus nerve is a mixed sensory-motor nerve that interfaces between the autonomic periphery and the brain. We asked whether stimulating specifically vagal sensory afferents modulates sleep. All experiments are based on viral transfection of vGluT2-expressing neurons in the jugular-nodose ganglion of the left vagus nerve, in combination with pol