The Sleep Switch

         

         Researchers at Oxford University's Center for Neutral Circuits and Behavior have discovered the switch in our brain that sends us of to sleep in a study of fruit flies. Fruit flies, or Drosophila, have a similar sleep mechanism to humans, say the researchers. In their observations of these Drosophila, the researchers found that the switch works by regulating a handful of sleep-promoting neurons (nerve cells) in the brain. These neurons are most active when we're tired/need sleep and are least active when we're wide awake/fully rested. Professor Gero Miessenböck at Oxford University said that, "When you're tired, these neurons shout loud and send you to sleep."    
          The two mechanisms that are used to regulate sleep are the 24-hour clock, which tells humans when it is night (time to sleep) and day (time to be awake), and the sleep 'homeostat' a device in the brain that keeps track of the hours you sleep, so it knows when to reset the clock. This is an internal indication of when to go to sleep. When it is turned off or out of use, sleep deficit builds up. The observations of the sleep-deprived flies showed that they were prone to nodding off and were cognitively impaired - they have severe learning and memory defects. This holds true with humans as well. Researchers say that targeting research on this "sleep switch" we can potentially improve treatment for sleep disorders as we learn more about it. 

NOS THEMES:

• Observation: The researchers involved in this study use their observation of fruit flies to gather more information about sleeping patterns and defects. 
• Qualitative Data: The data portrayed in the article is more descriptive (qualitative) than number results.
• Living Things Maintain Homeostasis: The 24-hour clock and sleep 'homeostat' take care of internal maintenances of internal sleep conditions within certain boundaries. 

COMMENT-PROVOKING QUESTIONS:

• Do you think that researchers should be observing any other types of organisms, besides fruit flies, to find out more about the "sleep switch"?
• Is there supplemental research to this topic from other sources?
• Does this article connect personally to you in any way? Do you suffer from sleep-disorders, whereas this research could potentially help you?
• What did you think of the article?

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