The molecular neurobiology of the sleep-deprived, fuzzy brain.
Sleep deprivation is well established to cause diminution of cognitive function, including disruption of both minute-to-minute working memory and decrements in the stabilization of long-term memories. Moreover, "replay" during sleep of episodes and sequences of events that were experienced during wakefulness has been implicated in consolidation of long-term memories. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of sleep in memory function are just starting to be defined. In this issue of Science Signaling, Tudor et al identify one molecular component underlying the effects of sleep on memory function: dynamic experience-dependent regulation of protein synthesis in the hippocampus.
Department of Neurobiology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. Civitan International Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. dsweatt@uab.edu.
J David
JD
Sweatt
Department of Neurobiology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
Kimberly E
KE
Hawkins
D001921:Brain; D006624:Hippocampus; D006801:Humans; D000076222:Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1; D008568:Memory; D009446:Neurobiology; D012892:Sleep Deprivation
D000076222:Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1