(Philadelphia, PA) - Researchers at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a brain
region previously known for its role in learning and memory also
serves as the location of sleep regulation in fruit flies.
Through further examination of this brain structure, researchers
hope to shed light on sleep regulation and its role in memory.
Despite its importance in everyday human function, very little
is known about the regulation of sleep. In search of the
underlying brain region responsible for sleep regulation, senior
author Amita Sehgal, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience and a Howard
Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, and colleagues
turned their attention to the fruit fly. “Fruit flies and humans
share similar resting patterns,” explains Sehgal. “Like humans,
the sleeping states of fruit flies are characterized by periods
of immobility over a twenty-four hour period, during which the
fruit flies demonstrate reduced responsiveness to sensory
stimuli.” By tinkering with the