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演題詳細

Symposium

光遺伝学や化学遺伝学を用いた神経回路機能操作と行動制御
Behavior control by manipulating neurocircuit using optogenetics and/or chemicogenetics

開催日 2014/9/12
時間 17:10 - 19:10
会場 Room B(501)
Chairperson(s) 成塚 裕美 / Hiromi Naritsuka (東京大学大学院 医学系研究科 細胞分子生理学教室 / Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan)
山中 章弘 / Akihiro Yamanaka (名古屋大学環境医学研究所 / Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Japan)

覚醒ーノンレム睡眠ーレム睡眠調節における視床下部メラニン凝集ホルモン産生神経の役割
The role of melanin concentrating hormone in the regulation of wakefulness, non-REM sleep and REM sleep

  • S2-B-3-3
  • 山中 章弘 / Akihiro Yamanaka:1 犬束 歩 / Ayumu Inutsuka:1 常松 友美Tomomi Tsunematsu 
  • 1:名古屋大学環境医学研究所 / Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Japan 

Neurons form complex network which work as functional circuit to regulate behavior in the brain. Little is known about how these circuit functions to regulate behavior since it had been impossible to control the activity of specific type of neurons in the brain. Recently developed techniques, optogenetics and pharmacogenetics (chemicogenetics) enable control the activity of specific type of neurons in the brain. These new techniques allow us to study the function of these network and behavior using the whole animal. In this symposium, I will show recent progress of our study about the physiological role of melanin concentrating hormone (MCH)-producing neurons in the hypothalamus. MCH neurons are located in the lateral hypothalamus. They project throughout the brain from there. Recent study revealed that MCH neurons are involved in the regulation of sled/wakefulness. To study the role of MCH neurons in the regulation of sleep/wakefulness, the activity of MCH neurons was manipulated by optogenetics. Activation of MCH neurons 3-fold increased time spent in REM sleep. However, inhibition of MCH neurons did not affect time in REM sleep. To further study the role of MCH neurons on the sleep/wakefulness regulation, temporally controled MCH neurons specific ablation was performed by using tTA/TetO gene expression system. MCH neurons specific ablation decreased time in non-REM sleep without affect on the time in REM sleep. Taken together, these results indicate that acute activation of MCH neurons is sufficient, but not necessary, to trigger the transition from NREM to REM sleep and that MCH neurons also play a role in the initiation and maintenance of NREM sleep.

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