Scientists have discovered the “sleep switch” in the brain, which allows us to understand why we fall asleep under a warm blanket. Damage to these cells has previously been associated with the development of insomnia.
American researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has found a specific switch of sleep in the human brain, from normal operation which determines the quality and duration of night rest. This is a special cluster of cells in the area of the brain that is responsible for sleep. This area is activated in mice as sleepiness, as shown by the observations. After activation of the cells, they begin to share a special chemical messages which may be sent the signal and all the remaining part of the brain that it is time to sleep.
Most notable in this study is that changes in body temperature trigger the activation of these cells. That’s why, when we climb under a warm blanket and warm up, we are usually overtaken by drowsiness. Cell zone located in ventrolateral prijatelna the core of the brain. It is located in the hypothalamus, and this area is responsible for disabling signals wakefulness. A scientist experimented with the use of genetic modified mice in which these cells are activated via laser beams. In the second part of the experiment for the same activation was used special drugs.
In both cases it was proved that this activation led to the development of drowsiness and falling asleep. The results of this experiment confirmed the findings of the previous group of scientists who found that damage of this group of cells can lead to the development of persistent insomnia. (READ MORE)