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Sensory processing during sleep in Drosophila melanogaster

Author

Listed:
  • Alice S. French

    (Imperial College London)

  • Quentin Geissmann

    (University of British Columbia)

  • Esteban J. Beckwith

    (Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), UBA-CONICET)

  • Giorgio F. Gilestro

    (Imperial College London)

Abstract

During sleep, most animal species enter a state of reduced consciousness characterized by a marked sensory disconnect. Yet some processing of the external world must remain intact, given that a sleeping animal can be awoken by intense stimuli (for example, a loud noise or a bright light) or by soft but qualitatively salient stimuli (for example, the sound of a baby cooing or hearing one’s own name1–3). How does a sleeping brain retain the ability to process the quality of sensory information? Here we present a paradigm to study the functional underpinnings of sensory discrimination during sleep in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that sleeping vinegar flies, like humans, discern the quality of sensory stimuli and are more likely to wake up in response to salient stimuli. We also show that the salience of a stimulus during sleep can be modulated by internal states. We offer a prototypical blueprint detailing a circuit involved in this process and its modulation as evidence that the system can be used to explore the cellular underpinnings of how a sleeping brain experiences the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Alice S. French & Quentin Geissmann & Esteban J. Beckwith & Giorgio F. Gilestro, 2021. "Sensory processing during sleep in Drosophila melanogaster," Nature, Nature, vol. 598(7881), pages 479-482, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:598:y:2021:i:7881:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03954-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03954-w
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    Cited by:

    1. Michaela Joyce & Federica A. Falconio & Laurence Blackhurst & Lucia Prieto-Godino & Alice S. French & Giorgio F. Gilestro, 2024. "Divergent evolution of sleep in Drosophila species," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.

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