Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
Glia. 2013 Feb;61(2):129-39. doi: 10.1002/glia.22422. Epub 2012 Oct 1.
Sleep is an evolutionarily conserved phenomenon that is clearly essential for survival, but we have limited understanding of how and why it is so important. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)/adenosine signaling has been known to be important in the regulation of sleep and recent evidence suggests a critical role for gliotransmission in the modulation of sleep homeostasis. Herein, we review the regulation of ATP/adenosine in the nervous system and provide evidence of a critical role for astrocyte-derived adenosine in the regulation of sleep homeostasis and the modulation of synaptic transmission. Further understanding of the role of glial cells in the regulation of sleep may provide new targets for pharmaceutical intervention in the treatment of brain dysfunctions, specifically those that are comorbid with sleep disruptions.
睡眠是一种进化上保守的现象,显然对生存至关重要,但我们对其重要性的机制和原因知之甚少。三磷酸腺苷(ATP)/腺苷信号在睡眠调节中具有重要作用,最近的证据表明,神经胶质传递在睡眠稳态调节中起着关键作用。本文综述了神经系统中 ATP/腺苷的调节,并提供了证据表明,星形胶质细胞衍生的腺苷在睡眠稳态调节和突触传递调节中起着关键作用。进一步了解胶质细胞在睡眠调节中的作用可能为治疗大脑功能障碍(特别是那些与睡眠障碍并存的疾病)的药物干预提供新的靶点。