Scientists identify the switch that says it's time to sleep.

This article talks about how scientists at Oxford University's Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior have discovered the switch in the brain that puts us to sleep. This was found through a study with fruit flies. The switch works by regulating the activity of nerve cells in our brains. The neurons fire when we need sleep and fire back down when we're fully rested.

Although the study was done on fruit flies, Dr Jeffrey
Donlea explains that a similar group of neurons can be
 found in a region of the human brain. These neurons
are also targets of general anesthetics, which put us to sleep. Researchers say that this new discovery may lead to help identify new drugs that can improve treatments for sleep disorders.

The big question now is to find out what signals this "sleep switch". Another pro of this study is that it can help to answer the mystery of why all animals need sleep to regain energy. The work in the fruit flies allowed the critical part of the sleep switch to be discovered. The flies stop moving when they go to sleep, require more disturbance to be woken up, and sleep-deprived flies are prone to nodding off; much like sleep loss in humans. This study will help show key components of mechanisms in the human body that go with our sleeping patterns and further the understanding of sleep and its importance.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/02/19/scientists_identify_the_switch_that_says_its_time_to_sleep.html

NOS Themes:

• Science is based on evidence
• Role of credibility
• Importance of repeatability 
• Role of motivation and curiosity