Cerebral mGluR5 availability contributes to elevated sleep need and behavioral adjustment after sleep deprivation

• DOI: 10.7554/elife.28751
• Publication Date: 2017-10-05T12:00:24Z
• Authors: Sebastian C Holst; Alexandra Sousek; Katharina Hefti; Sohrab Saberi-Mog...; Alfred Buck; Simon M Ametamey; Milan Scheidegger; Paul Franken; Anke Henning; Erich Seifritz; Mehdi Tafti; Hans-Peter Landolt
• Keywords: Neuroscience of sleep; Sleep

Increased sleep time and intensity quantified as low-frequency brain electrical activity after loss demonstrate that need is homeostatically regulated, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. We here metabotropic glutamate receptors of subtype 5 (mGluR5) contribute to machinery governing sleep-wake homeostasis. Using positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, electroencephalography in humans, we find increased mGluR5 availability tightly correlates with behavioral electroencephalographic biomarkers elevated need. These changes are associated altered cortical myo-inositol glycine levels, suggesting loss-induced modifications downstream signaling. Knock-out mice without functional exhibit severe dysregulation homeostasis, including lack recovery impaired adjustment a novel task deprivation. The data suggest brain's coping deprivation point target improve disturbed wakefulness sleep.