title: Call it Worm Sleep.
abstract: The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans stops feeding and moving during a larval transition stage called lethargus and following exposure to cellular stressors. These behaviors have been termed 'sleep-like states'. We argue that these behaviors should instead be called sleep. Sleep during lethargus is similar to sleep regulated by circadian timers in insects and mammals, and sleep in response to cellular stress is similar to sleep induced by sickness in other animals. Sleep in mammals and Drosophila shows molecular and functional conservation with C. elegans sleep. The simple neuroanatomy and powerful genetic tools of C. elegans have yielded insights into sleep regulation and hold great promise for future research into sleep regulation and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Trojanowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: raizen@mail.med.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Raizen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans; cellular stress; development; evolution; quiescence; sleep