When the sleep-drive neurons turn on, it puts the fruit flies to sleep. And when the sleep-drive neurons are turned off in well-rested flies, the flies awaken. Credit: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Studying fruit flies, whose sleep is remarkably similar to that in people, Johns Hopkins researchers say they’ve identified brain cells in charge of so-called sleep drive that becomes more active the longer flies are kept awake. The same mechanism also plays a role in putting the flies to sleep and keeping them that way. The findings may offer insight into human sleep disorders and open up new strategies to promote long-lasting sleep for those with chronic insomnia who don’t respond to available sleep drugs, they say.
In their search for sleep-regulating cells, Wu’s team used genetic engineering to tur...
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