Sleepy synapses. Commentary on Hanlon et al. 'Effects of skilled training on sleep slow wave activity and cortical gene expression in the rat' Sleep 2009;32:719-729.

摘要

EEG SLOW WAVE ACTIVITY (SWA) IS A RELIABLE AND ROBUST INDICATOR OF SLEEP PRESSURE THAT ACCUMULATES DURING WAKING AND DISSIPATES during sleep. The coupling between SWA and sleep homeostasis is so strong that it is tempting to speculate that SWA reflects fundamental aspects of sleep function. The synaptic homeostasis hypothesis states that SWA is high at sleep onset as a consequence of synaptic potentiation in cortical and subcortical circuits that occurs during waking. The expression of SWA during sleep is hypothesized to reflect a process of synaptic depression that functions to renormalize synaptic strength to levels that can be sustained during subsequent waking, given limitations of anatomical space and energy utilization.