Topic: Sleep-wake patterns

Diurnal animals with monophasic sleep patterns exhibit species-specific cycles of slow-wave sleep (SWS) alternating with rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). A recent study revealed that in the diurnal reptile Pogona vitticeps, SWS and REMS regularly alternate with approximately 2-min cycles throughout the night, generating more than 300 SWS/REMS cycles. Although the cycle varies significantly across species, common neural mechanisms may be involved. However, the precise mechanisms responsible for maintaining these regular cycles remain elusive. Sleep-wake patterns are predominantly regulated by t

Aims: Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the central nervous system initiates a PI3K signaling cascade, involving crucial membrane phospholipids phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP2) and phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3). While PIP2's role in epileptogenesis is known, our study investigates the unclear role of PIP3 using PTZ-induced epileptic mice, exploring its impact on epileptogenesis and associated sleep disruptions. Methods: Our hypothesis proposed a pivotal role for PIP3 in the molecular mechanism of seizures. We intraperitoneal administered low dose of PTZ once every two

Environmental stress plays a key role in the development of psychiatric disorders, and also has a negative impact on sleep integrity. Insomnia and sleep disturbances are core symptoms observed in patients with stress-related disorders. However, stress reactivity is the result of a combination of genetic and environmental influences that ultimately impacts one’s physiology and behavior in a variety of ways. In this project we will focus on stress susceptibility and how it could trigger psychiatric diseases in a peculiar gene-environment interaction.Studying glutamatergic neurotransmission, we d