Session Schedule

Find a specific presentation in the session by navigating to the timestamp indicated below.

0:00:00
Introduction

0:04:43
Bidirectional regulation of NREM sleep by prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons
Lukas Krone (United Kingdom)

0:26:07
Prefrontal-hypothalamic dynamics regulating REM sleep
Franz Weber (United States)

0:51:10
Prefrontal synaptic regulation of homeostatic sleep pressure
Shoi Shi (Japan)

1:10:30
Role of prefrontal cortex somatostatin neurons directing top-down control of sleep preparatory behaviour and sleep
Kyoko Tossell (United Kingdom)

Summary

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) allows mammals to make complex decisions and plan ahead. It also gets tired first: PFC functions become compromised early during sleep deprivation and electrophysiological markers of sleep pressure rise most strongly in the PFC. Furthermore, PFC activity markedly differs between rapid eye movement (REM), non-REM (NREM) sleep, and wakefulness. However, the possibility that PFC activity not only mirrors sleep need and vigilance state, but actively partakes in their regulation has been overlooked until recently. Emerging evidence suggests that distinct PFC neuronal populations are essential for multiple aspects of sleep regulation ranging from sleep initiation and vigilance state control to behavioral performance following sleep. This symposium will cover the neurobiological evidence for and clinical implications of the emerging notion that the PFC acts as a key hub orchestrating sleep and sleep-related wake behaviors.
The first three speakers will present work in mice implicating that the PFC governs the decision when and how sleep manifests. Dr. Lukas Krone, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford (UK), will present unpublished chemogenetic experiments revealing that a subset of cortical excitatory neurons elicits sleep preparatory behaviors, promotes NREM sleep, and modulates sleep architecture in a pattern compatible with increased sleep depth. Next, Dr. Franz Weber, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania (USA), will discuss unpublished work studying the interaction between the medial PFC and downstream hypothalamic neurons by combining optogenetic manipulation with high-density in vivo recordings. He will discuss how excitatory inputs from the mPFC affect the dynamics in hypothalamic neural populations and consequently promote transitions from NREM to REM sleep. The third speaker, Dr. Shoi Shi, principal investigator at the University of Tsukuba (Japan), will share recent findings that the relationship between synaptic strength in the PFC and sleep extends beyond mere correlation. He will demonstrate causal links in both directions: synapses regulate sleep, and sleep, in turn, regulates synapses. This bidirectional relationship in the prefrontal cortex highlights how synaptic changes shape sleep architecture across the sleep-wake cycle.
The final two speakers will explore the impact of sleep disruption on PFC function during wakefulness. Dr. Miranda Lim, associate professor at the Oregon Health and Science University (USA), will present how early life sleep disruption alters dendritic spine density on pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex, and consequently, later adult social behavior, in the monogamous, highly social prairie vole. Dr. Kyoko Tossell will reveal recent findings on how melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), predominantly released in REM sleep, regulates prefrontal cortical neurons and modulates stress-induced adaptive behaviors in mice.
Together, the five speakers will explore the role of the PFC in the orchestration of sleep and sleep-related behaviors from the level of cells and circuits to the level of social and cognitive behaviors, relevant for the understanding of the causal relationships between the integrity of prefrontal circuits, sleep disruption, and psychiatric disease.