Astrocytes, Not Just Neurons, Play a Role in Sleep

In mice, the brain’s main glial cell type exhibits distinctive patterns of activity across the sleep-wake cycle and influences the response to sleep deprivation.

Written byAbby Olena, PhD

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ABOVE: Astrocytes in the mouse brain generate a fluorescent calcium indicator (gold) captured with a two-photon microscope.
ASHLEY INGIOSI, COURTESY OF CURRENT BIOLOGY

For years, researchers have assumed that the signals in the brain that make mammals sleep come from neurons and that astrocytes, glial cells that outnumber neurons five to one in the brain, were following neuronal cues. In a study published today (September 24) in Current Biology, researchers show that calcium levels—a marker of signaling activity between cells—change in astrocytes as mice sleep and wake. Without this cross-talk between astrocytes, mice don’t make up for lost sleep like they normally do, indicating that these cells in the brain have much more influence on sleep than previously thought.

“There was this idea for a long time . . . that astrocytes were just glue, pulling the brain together and are more like passive cells, but it’s not true,” says Sejal ...

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Meet the Author

Abby Olena, PhD
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As a freelancer for The Scientist, Abby reports on new developments in life science for the website. She has a PhD from Vanderbilt University and got her start in science journalism as the Chicago Tribune’s AAAS Mass Media Fellow in 2013. Following a stint as an intern for The Scientist, Abby was a postdoc in science communication at Duke University, where she developed and taught courses to help scientists share their research. In addition to her work as a science journalist, she leads science writing and communication workshops and co-produces a conversational podcast. She is based in Alabama.
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