Fly into Tranquility: GABA's Role in Drosophila Sleep

Overview

Journal Curr Opin Insect Sci

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Biology

Date 2024 Jun 7

PMID 38848811

Authors

Ratna Chaturvedi

Patrick Emery

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Sleep is conserved across the animal kingdom, and Drosophila melanogaster is a prime model to understand its intricate circadian and homeostatic control. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), the brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter, plays a central role in sleep. This review delves into GABA's complex mechanisms of actions within Drosophila's sleep-regulating neural networks. We discuss how GABA promotes sleep, both by inhibiting circadian arousal neurons and by being a key neurotransmitter in sleep homeostatic circuits. GABA's impact on sleep is modulated by glia through astrocytic GABA recapture and metabolism. Interestingly, GABA can be coexpressed with other neurotransmitters in sleep-regulating neurons, which likely contributes to context-based sleep plasticity.

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