A peek into the interplay between sleep and wakefulness

(University of Tsukuba) The ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) in the brain plays a critical role in the initiation and maintenance of sleep, while the lateral posterior part of the hypothalamus contains neuronal populations implicated in maintenance of arousal. Now, a University of Tsukuba-centered study reveals that these arousal-related neurons are heavily innervated by GABAergic neurons in the preoptic area including the VLPO. The work provides important information to understand the mech...