image: Figure 3A. Average fluorescence in MCH neurons is highest during REM sleep and exploratory behavior. view more
Credit: Blanco-Centurion <em>et al., JNeurosci</em> (2019)
Researchers have mapped the activity of individual neurons deep in the brain during sleep and exploration of novel objects in male and female mice. The study, published in JNeurosci, suggests these cells may facilitate memory formation.
Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons are active during rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, when dreaming -- and perhaps memory consolidation -- occurs. Carlos Blanco, Priyattam Shiromani, and colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina and Yale University School of Medicine report 70 percent of MCH neurons that were strongly activated during REM sleep were also active when mice explored interesting objects like a binder clip or a bottle cap.
By recording the activity of pairs of MCH neurons, the researchers revealed a pattern of single -cell activity that could be used to compare the function of this network across different states of health and disease. Additionally, because all vertebrates have these cells, future studies of MCH neurons in animals beyond mammals and birds may identify REM sleep in diverse species.
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Manuscript title: Dynamic Network Activation of Hypothalamic MCH Neurons in REM Sleep and Exploratory Behavior
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About JNeurosci
JNeurosci, the Society for Neuroscience's first journal, was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today, the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact, while responding to authors' changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship.
About The Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 37,000 members in more than 90 countries and over 130 chapters worldwide.