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Annals of the New York Academy of... May 2017Models of attention often distinguish among attention subtypes, with classic models separating orienting, switching, and sustaining functions. Compared with other forms... (Review)
Review
Models of attention often distinguish among attention subtypes, with classic models separating orienting, switching, and sustaining functions. Compared with other forms of attention, the neurophysiological basis of sustaining attention has received far less notice, yet it is known that momentary failures of sustained attention can have far-ranging negative effects in healthy individuals, and lasting sustained attention deficits are pervasive in clinical populations. In recent years, however, there has been increased interest in characterizing moment-to-moment fluctuations in sustained attention, in addition to the overall vigilance decrement, and understanding how these neurocognitive systems change over the life span and across various clinical populations. The use of novel neuroimaging paradigms and statistical approaches has allowed for better characterization of the neural networks supporting sustained attention and has highlighted dynamic interactions within and across multiple distributed networks that predict behavioral performance. These advances have also provided potential biomarkers to identify individuals with sustained attention deficits. These findings have led to new theoretical models explaining why sustaining focused attention is a challenge for individuals and form the basis for the next generation of sustained attention research, which seeks to accurately diagnose and develop theoretically driven treatments for sustained attention deficits that affect a variety of clinical populations.
Topics: Attention; Brain; Brain Mapping; Humans; Neuroimaging; Orientation; Wakefulness
PubMed: 28260249
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13318 -
Brain Research Bulletin Dec 2022Although several previous studies have suggested a relationship between sleep and the stress response, the mechanism underlying this relationship remains largely...
Although several previous studies have suggested a relationship between sleep and the stress response, the mechanism underlying this relationship remains largely unknown. Here, we show that fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a lipid metabolism-related hormone, may play a role in this relationship. In this study, we examined differences in the stress response between FGF21 knockout (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) mice after social defeat stress (SDS). When the amount of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and wakefulness were averaged over the dark period after SDS, only KO mice showed significant differences in NREM sleep and wakefulness. In the social interaction test, KO mice seemed to be more prone to social avoidance. Our real-time (RT) -PCR results revealed that the mRNA expression of the stress- and sleep-related gene gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor subunit alpha 2 was significantly lower in WT mice than in KO mice. Moreover, KO mice showed lower plasma levels of ketone bodies, which also affect sleep/wake regulation, than WT mice. These results suggested that FGF21 might influence sleep/wake regulation by inducing production of an anti-stress agent and/or ketone bodies, which may result in resilience to social stress.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Electroencephalography; Ketone Bodies; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Sleep; Wakefulness; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 36243208
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.10.005 -
Cell Reports Mar 2022Decreased responsiveness to sensory stimuli during sleep is presumably mediated via thalamic gating. Without an obligatory thalamic relay in the olfactory system, the...
Decreased responsiveness to sensory stimuli during sleep is presumably mediated via thalamic gating. Without an obligatory thalamic relay in the olfactory system, the anterior piriform cortex (APC) is suggested to be a gate in anesthetized states. However, olfactory processing in natural sleep states remains undetermined. Here, we simultaneously record local field potentials (LFPs) in hierarchical olfactory regions (olfactory bulb [OB], APC, and orbitofrontal cortex) while optogenetically activating olfactory sensory neurons, ensuring consistent peripheral inputs across states in behaving mice. Surprisingly, evoked LFPs in sleep states (both non-rapid eye movement [NREM] and rapid eye movement [REM]) are larger and contain greater gamma-band power and cross-region coherence (compared to wakefulness) throughout the olfactory pathway, suggesting the lack of a central gate. Single-unit recordings from the OB and APC reveal a higher percentage of responsive neurons during sleep with a higher incidence of suppressed firing. Additionally, nasal breathing is slower and shallower during sleep, suggesting a partial peripheral gating mechanism.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Olfactory Bulb; Olfactory Cortex; Olfactory Pathways; Smell; Wakefulness
PubMed: 35235805
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110450 -
Neuron Sep 2022For decades, thalamic burst and tonic spiking modes have been theorized to regulate sensory signaling in the thalamocortical circuit. In this issue of Neuron, Borden...
For decades, thalamic burst and tonic spiking modes have been theorized to regulate sensory signaling in the thalamocortical circuit. In this issue of Neuron, Borden et al. demonstrate a timing-based mechanism by which thalamic spiking mode controls sensory responses in the awake cortex.
Topics: Action Potentials; Cerebral Cortex; Neurons; Thalamus; Wakefulness
PubMed: 36076335
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.08.003 -
Brain Stimulation 2023Humans routinely shift their sleepiness and wakefulness levels in response to emotional factors. The diversity of emotional factors that modulates sleep-wake levels...
BACKGROUND
Humans routinely shift their sleepiness and wakefulness levels in response to emotional factors. The diversity of emotional factors that modulates sleep-wake levels suggests that the ascending arousal network may be intimately linked with networks that mediate mood. Indeed, while animal studies have identified select limbic structures that play a role in sleep-wake regulation, the breadth of corticolimbic structures that directly modulates arousal in humans remains unknown.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether select regional activation of the corticolimbic network through direct electrical stimulation can modulate sleep-wake levels in humans, as measured by subjective experience and behavior.
METHODS
We performed intensive inpatient stimulation mapping in two human participants with treatment resistant depression, who underwent intracranial implantation with multi-site, bilateral depth electrodes. Stimulation responses of sleep-wake levels were measured by subjective surveys (i.e. Stanford Sleepiness Scale and visual-analog scale of energy) and a behavioral arousal score. Biomarker analyses of sleep-wake levels were performed by assessing spectral power features of resting-state electrophysiology.
RESULTS
Our findings demonstrated three regions whereby direct stimulation modulated arousal, including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), subgenual cingulate (SGC), and, most robustly, ventral capsule (VC). Modulation of sleep-wake levels was frequency-specific: 100Hz OFC, SGC, and VC stimulation promoted wakefulness, whereas 1Hz OFC stimulation increased sleepiness. Sleep-wake levels were correlated with gamma activity across broad brain regions.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings provide evidence for the overlapping circuitry between arousal and mood regulation in humans. Furthermore, our findings open the door to new treatment targets and the consideration of therapeutic neurostimulation for sleep-wake disorders.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Sleepiness; Arousal; Sleep; Wakefulness; Electric Stimulation
PubMed: 37385540
DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.06.017 -
PeerJ 2023Sustained attention is one of the basic abilities of humans to maintain concentration on relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information over extended... (Review)
Review
Sustained attention is one of the basic abilities of humans to maintain concentration on relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information over extended periods. The purpose of the review is to provide insight into how to integrate neural mechanisms of sustained attention with computational models to facilitate research and application. Although many studies have assessed attention, the evaluation of humans' sustained attention is not sufficiently comprehensive. Hence, this study provides a current review on both neural mechanisms and computational models of visual sustained attention. We first review models, measurements, and neural mechanisms of sustained attention and propose plausible neural pathways for visual sustained attention. Next, we analyze and compare the different computational models of sustained attention that the previous reviews have not systematically summarized. We then provide computational models for automatically detecting vigilance states and evaluation of sustained attention. Finally, we outline possible future trends in the research field of sustained attention.
Topics: Humans; Attention; Neural Pathways; Wakefulness; Models, Neurological; Computer Simulation
PubMed: 37334118
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15351 -
Journal of Biological Rhythms Dec 2018Light is known to elicit non-image-forming responses, such as effects on alertness. This has been reported especially during light exposure at night. Nighttime results... (Review)
Review
Light is known to elicit non-image-forming responses, such as effects on alertness. This has been reported especially during light exposure at night. Nighttime results might not be translatable to the day. This article aims to provide an overview of (1) neural mechanisms regulating alertness, (2) ways of measuring and quantifying alertness, and (3) the current literature specifically regarding effects of different intensities of white light on various measures and correlates of alertness during the daytime. In general, the present literature provides inconclusive results on alerting effects of the intensity of white light during daytime, particularly for objective measures and correlates of alertness. However, the various research paradigms employed in earlier studies differed substantially, and most studies tested only a limited set of lighting conditions. Therefore, the alerting potential of exposure to more intense white light should be investigated in a systematic, dose-dependent manner with multiple correlates of alertness and within one experimental paradigm over the course of day.
Topics: Attention; Circadian Rhythm; Electroencephalography; Humans; Light; Photic Stimulation; Wakefulness
PubMed: 30191746
DOI: 10.1177/0748730418796443 -
British Journal of Pharmacology Feb 2021Histamine plays pleiotropic roles as a neurotransmitter in the physiology of brain function, this includes the maintenance of wakefulness, appetite regulation and memory... (Review)
Review
Histamine plays pleiotropic roles as a neurotransmitter in the physiology of brain function, this includes the maintenance of wakefulness, appetite regulation and memory retrieval. Since numerous studies have revealed an association between histaminergic dysfunction and diverse neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, a large number of compounds acting on the brain histamine system have been developed to treat neurological disorders. In 2016, pitolisant, which was developed as a histamine H receptor inverse agonist by Schwartz and colleagues, was launched for the treatment of narcolepsy, emphasising the prominent role of brain histamine on wakefulness. Recent advances in neuroscientific techniques such as chemogenetic and optogenetic approaches have led to remarkable progress in the understanding of histaminergic neural circuits essential for the control of wakefulness. In this review article, we summarise the basic knowledge about the histaminergic nervous system and the mechanisms underlying sleep/wake regulation that are controlled by the brain histamine system. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Neurochemistry in Japan. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v178.4/issuetoc.
Topics: Histamine; Hypothalamic Area, Lateral; Neurons; Sleep; Wakefulness
PubMed: 32744724
DOI: 10.1111/bph.15220 -
Journal of Sleep Research Dec 2022Sleep has a beneficial effect on memory consolidation. However, its role in emotional memory is currently debated. Here, we investigate the role of sleep and a similar... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Sleep has a beneficial effect on memory consolidation. However, its role in emotional memory is currently debated. Here, we investigate the role of sleep and a similar period of wakefulness on the recognition of emotional pictures and subjective emotional reactivity. Forty participants without any major physical, neurological or psychological condition were randomly assigned to the Sleep First Group or Wake First Group. The two groups underwent the encoding phase of an emotional images task with negative and neutral pictures at either 09:00 hours (Wake First Group) or 21:00 hours (Sleep First Group). Then participants performed an immediate recognition test (T1), and two delayed tests 12 hr (T2) and 24 hr (T3) later. Perceived arousal and valence levels were collected for each picture. Sleep parameters were recorded at participants' homes with a portable device. No differences were observed at T1, whereas at T2 the Sleep First Group showed a higher memory performance than the Wake First Group. At T3, performance decreased in the Sleep First Group (who spent the previous 12 hr awake), but not in the Wake First Group (who slept during the previous 12 hr). Overall, negative images were remembered better than neutral ones. We also observed a positive association between memory performance for negative items at the immediate test and the percentage of rapid eye movement sleep the night before the encoding. Our data confirm that negative information is remembered better over time than neutral information, and that sleep benefits the retention of declarative information. However, sleep seems not to preferentially improve emotional memory, although it may affect the encoding of negative information.
Topics: Humans; Wakefulness; Recognition, Psychology; Sleep; Emotions; Memory Consolidation
PubMed: 35853672
DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13695 -
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry May 2015Sleep problems are common in adults and should be treated to improve overall health and safety. To choose the best treatment for patients with sleep problems, clinicians... (Review)
Review
Sleep problems are common in adults and should be treated to improve overall health and safety. To choose the best treatment for patients with sleep problems, clinicians should understand the sleep-wake cycle and the stages of rapid eye movement and non-rapid eye movement sleep as well as the neurologic pathways of sleep and wake systems. The sleep- and wake-promoting systems are mutually inhibitory, with the predominantly active system determining if a person is awake or asleep. The orexin system also plays an important role in the stabilization of the sleep-wake cycle.
Topics: Humans; Sleep; Sleep Wake Disorders; Wakefulness
PubMed: 26035194
DOI: 10.4088/JCP.14046tx1c