Slow-wave sleep is controlled by a subset of nucleus accumbens core neurons in mice. Nature Communications, 2017; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00781-4
As humans, we often defy sleepiness and stay awake when attention is necessary, but also experience an inescapable desire to sleep in boring situations. The brain mechanisms governing the regulation of sleep by cognitive and emotional factors are not well understood. A new paper published in the journal Nature Communications finds that a part of the brain that is associated with motivation and pleasure – the nucleus accumbens – also can produce sleep. The new findings may explain why we have the tendency to fall asleep in the absence of motivating stimuli, i.e., when bored.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba’s International Institute ...
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