title: Optogenetic control of hypocretin (orexin) neurons and arousal circuits.
abstract: In 1998, our group discovered a cDNA that encoded the precursor of two putative neuropeptides that we called hypocretins for their hypothalamic expression and their similarity to the secretin family of neuropeptides. In the last 16 years, numerous studies have placed the hypocretin system as an integrator of homeostatic functions with a crucial, non-redundant function as arousal stabilizer. We recently applied optogenetic methods to interrogate the role of individual neuronal circuits in sleep-to-wake transitions. The neuronal connections between the hypocretin system and the locus coeruleus (LC) seem to be crucial in establishing the appropriate dynamic of spontaneous awakenings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1201 Welch Rd, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA, llecea@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Lecea
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000502:physiology*; D062308:Optogenetics / Q000379:methods*; D000068797:Orexins; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D000068797:Orexins