Scientists have located the neurons responsible for deep sleep. Sedatives and sleeping pills work by forcing the action of these nerve cells.
Sleep reveals one of its many secrets. Scientists at Imperial College London have in fact how deep sleep is triggered and effective ways to induce it artificially. Their work, carried out in mice, has been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience and could improve treatments for insomnia, as well as anesthetics.
Deep sleep neurons
According to English researchers, the deep sleep phase is induced by the action of certain neurons located in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus. These neurons are responsible for “switching off” areas of the brain that are inactive when we are sleeping soundly.
However, scientists have observed that certain sleeping pills have the precise action of activating these neurons. In fact, sedatives are said to have an action very similar to that triggered naturally by the brain.
More effective sedatives
Scientific literature already mentioned the action of sedatives on certain receptors. But until now, it was believed that the treatments worked because they had an overall effect on the whole brain.
The study’s authors point out that their work could fuel research into molecules that would target more of these deep sleep neurons, by avoiding the side effects of sleeping pills and reducing recovery times.
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