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Direct and indirect control of orexin/hypocretin neurons by glycine receptors
Author(s) -
Karnani Mahesh M.,
Venner Anne,
Jensen Lise T.,
Fugger Lars,
Burdakov Denis
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.198457
Subject(s) - orexin , narcolepsy , neuroscience , wakefulness , glycine , glycine receptor , receptor , orexin receptor , orexin a , chemistry , sleep (system call) , neuropeptide , biology , psychology , neurology , electroencephalography , computer science , amino acid , biochemistry , operating system
Non‐technical summary Normal wakefulness relies on brain cells called orexin/hypocretin neurons. Activity of these cells stimulates awakening while their loss produces the sleep disorder narcolepsy. By studying what makes orexin/hypocretin cells more or less active, we can thus gain insights into how the brain switches between different states of consciousness. We describe a new way to turn orexin/hypocretin cells off using a chemical called glycine. We show that glycine shuts down the electrical activity of orexin/hypocretin neurons from the adult brain, but has the opposite effect in the very young brain. Apart from these direct actions on orexin/hypocretin cells, glycine also enhances the ability of other nerve cells to communicate with orexin/hypocretin neurons. These data shed new light on the basic chemical and physical mechanisms regulating orexin/hypocretin neurons, which may also be useful in improving therapeutic strategies for disorders such as insomnia.