视前正中核神经元调节睡眠-觉醒的研究进展

 视前正中核(median preoptic nucleus,MnPO)位于下丘脑视前区,主要由GABA能和谷氨酸能神经元组成。研究显示,MnPO在睡眠时大部分细胞放电增加；动物睡眠剥夺后,睡眠张力增高,MnPO区c-Fos表达量增多；毁损大鼠MnPO,睡眠量减少,觉醒量增加。MnPO与脑内多个调控睡眠觉醒的核团有神经纤维联系。在MnPO区微注射GABAA受体激动剂,抑制MnPO神经元,导致觉醒相关脑区神经元去抑制,引起觉醒,提示MnPO区GABA能神经可通过抑制觉醒核团来维持睡眠。本文综述MnPO调节睡眠-觉醒作用的研究进展。 

Advances in sleep-wake regulation of the median preoptic neucleus

The median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) located in the hypothalamus preoptic area,mainly consists of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons. It has been reported that most MnPO neurons are activated during sleep. Sleep deprived rats exhibit an increase in c-Fos expression in the MnPO with the increase of sleep propensity. Lesion of rat MnPO decreases the amount of sleep with an increase in wakefulness. Furthermore, MnPO innervates most of sleep-wake regulatory nuclei. Microinjection of GABAA receptor agonist into the MnPO inhibits the MnPO neurons, and results in the disinhibition of wake-related nuclei projected from the MnPO and induces wakefulness. These findings indicate that the activation of MnPO neurons contributes to the suppression of wake-promoting systems and promotes sleep.In this review, we summarized the advances in the roles of MnPO in sleep-wake regulation.