Huber
Fakultäten » Medizinische Fakultät » Kinderspital Zürich: Medizinische Klinik » Entwicklungspädiatrie, Abteilung » Prof. Dr. Reto Huber » Huber
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Synaptic homeostasis and sleep | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Synaptic homeostasis refers to activity dependent mechanisms of synaptic scaling which ensure that neurons maintain a sustainable firing level. The synaptic homeostasis hypothesis of sleep regulation claims that such synaptic scaling takes partially place during sleep. Thus, according to the hypothesis wakefulness would be dominated by learning related synaptic potentiation, whereas sleep, in particular slow-wave sleep, would be responsible for synaptic downscaling, a generalized decrease in synaptic strength that recalibrates neural circuits. Slow-wave sleep is dominated by slow fluctuation of neuronal firing with active up states and completely silent down states. It is well known that the predominance of these slow waves is tightly regulated as a function of prior sleep and wakefulness and thus, is well accepted as an electrophysiological marker of sleep homeostasis. According to the synaptic homeostasis hypothesis the homeostatic regulation of slow waves is reflecting, and responsible for synaptic homeostasis. In recent years, several papers have shown that the amount of slow waves can be locally manipulated by targeted waking stimulation. However, also on a global level, according to the hypothesis, cortical excitability should increase after prolonged wakefulness and decrease after sleep. We will use a combination of techniques, continuous EEG recordings, auditory evoked potential and state of the art two photon imaging in rats, to explore whether sleep dependent changes in cortical excitability is also reflected in changes of biochemical signalling and possibly structural dynamics at the neuron. Our findings should contribute to the understanding of the role of sleep in learning and memory processes. | ||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | downscaling, plasticity, sleep homeostasis | ||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
|
||
| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Others Neuroscience Center Zurich |
||
| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Aug 2009 to Jul 2011 |