Control of REM sleep by ventral medulla GABAergic neurons

摘要

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a distinct brain state characterized by activated electroencephalogram and complete skeletal muscle paralysis, and is associated with vivid dreams(1-3). Transection studies by Jouvet first demonstrated that the brainstem is both necessary and sufficient for REM sleep generation(2), and the neural circuits in the pons have since been studied extensively(4-8). The medulla also contains neurons that are active during REM sleep(9-13), but whether they play a causal