The Hypocretin Arousal Network

Borniger, J. C., de Lecea, L. (February 2019) The Hypocretin Arousal Network. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Oxford University Press.

DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190264086.013.29

Abstract

The hypocretins (also known as orexins) are selectively expressed in a subset of lateral hypothalamic neurons. Since the reports of their discovery in 1998, they have been intensely investigated in relation to their role in sleep/wake transitions, feeding, reward, drug abuse, and motivated behavior. This research has cemented their role as a subcortical relay optimized to tune arousal in response to various salient stimuli. This article reviews their discovery, physiological modulation, circuitry, and integrative functionality contributing to vigilance state transitions and stability. Specific emphasis is placed on humoral and neural inputs regulating hcrt neural function and new evidence for an autoimmune basis of the sleep disorder narcolepsy. Future directions for this field involve dissection of the heterogeneity of this neural population using single-cell transcriptomics, optogenetic, and chemogenetics, as well as monitoring population and single cell activity. Computational models of the hypocretin network, using the “flip-flop” or “integrator neuron” frameworks, provide a fundamental understanding of how this neural population influences brain-wide activity and behavior.

Item Type: Book Section
Subjects: organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > suprachiasmatic nucleus > hypothalamus
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > hypothalamus
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Borniger lab
Depositing User: Adrian Gomez
Date: February 2019
Date Deposited: 06 Jan 2020 18:53
Last Modified: 06 Jan 2020 18:53
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/38878

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