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Large Ventral Lateral Neurons Modulate Arousal and Sleep in Drosophila

2008; Elsevier BV; Volume: 18; Issue: 20 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.cub.2008.08.033

1879-0445

Vasu Sheeba, Keri J. Fogle, Maki Kaneko, Saima Rashid, Yu-Ting Chou, Vijay Kumar Sharma, Todd C. Holmes,

Photoreceptor and optogenetics research

Large ventral lateral clock neurons (lLNvs) exhibit higher daytime-light-driven spontaneous action-potential firing rates in Drosophila, coinciding with wakefulness and locomotor-activity behavior. To determine whether the lLNvs are involved in arousal and sleep/wake behavior, we examined the effects of altered electrical excitation of the LNvs.LNv-hyperexcited flies reverse the normal day-night firing pattern, showing higher lLNv firing rates at night and pigment-dispersing-factor-mediated enhancement of nocturnal locomotor-activity behavior and reduced quantity and quality of sleep. lLNv hyperexcitation impairs sensory arousal, as shown by physiological and behavioral assays. lLNv-hyperexcited flies lacking sLNvs exhibit robust hyperexcitation-induced increases in nocturnal behavior, suggesting that the sLNvs are not essential for mediation of arousal.Light-activated lLNvs modulate behavioral arousal and sleep in Drosophila.