DNF seminar
Abstract:
The function of sleep remains one of biology’s greatest unsolved questions. Complicating our understanding of sleep function is the presence of two sleep states in many species, including rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Further adding to this complexity, REM sleep is characterized by the coalescence of diverse components in endotherms, including a generalized muscle atonia, rapid eye movements, cortical activation, erectile activity and loss of thermoregulation, components that fail to easily converge on a common identifiable function. This lecture will introduce the energy allocation (EA) hypothesis of sleep which proposes that essential biological functions have coalesced during states of sleep across species to promote resource optimization and energy conservation. From an evolutionary perspective, it is the selective pressures from these energy savings that have driven state-specific coupling and their integration at the whole organism level. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of thermoregulation and sleep-wake control, including the potential role for the loss of thermoregulation during REM sleep and how the cycling of two sleep states may promote resource optimization within sleep.
Also available through Zoom:
https://unil.zoom.us/j/2341931984