title: Adenosine, energy metabolism, and sleep.
abstract: While the exact function of sleep remains unknown, it is evident that sleep was developed early in phylogenesis and represents an ancient and vital strategy for survival. Several pieces of evidence suggest that the function of sleep is associated with energy metabolism, saving of energy, and replenishment of energy stores. Prolonged wakefulness induces signs of energy depletion in the brain, while experimentally induced, local energy depletion induces increase in sleep, similarly as would a period of prolonged wakefulness. The key molecule in the induction of sleep appears to be adenosine, which induces sleep locally in the basal forebrain.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine, University of Helsinki, Finland. porkka@cc.helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Tarja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Porkka-Heiskanen
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalinchuk
authors.forename: Lauri
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alanko
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urrila
authors.forename: Dag
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stenberg
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000241:Adenosine