Brian circuit that drives sleep-wake states, sleep-preparation behavior is identified

     The article I chose to write about was "Brain circuit that drives sleep-wake states, sleep-preparation behavior is identified". It is about a group of researchers at Stanford University of Medicine who have found a brain circuit that is necessary for our sleep-wake cycle. Our sleep-wake cycle is the body's circadian rhythm that acts as our internal clock that is located in our brain. The researchers have also found that the circuit for our sleep-wake cycle is the same circuit for our reward system. They explain how this makes sense giving an example that one cannot look for food, which is necessary for life, while they are sleeping.
     To test their new findings and its relevance to human life, the researchers got male mice that had been bioengineerd in many ways so they researchers could excite, suppress, and monitor the dopamine-secreting nerve cells found in the mice's VTA (ventral tegmental area) found in the brain. When the researchers suppressed the dopamine levels in the nerve-cell the mice fell asleep, even though it was a time where the mice were typically active. They then placed the mice in a unfamiliar cage. Like most mice, the VTA-suppressed mice stayed awake for a majority of their time in the new cage. Rather than exploring their new cage, like the controlled group of mice did, the suppressed mice spent their time building their nests carefully. Once the mice had finished building their nest, they climbed inside and fell asleep.
     This experiment showed that the mice that were VTA-suppressed spent their time preparing to sleep by building their nests. They then hypothesized that humans have this need to prepare for sleep as well. Lecea, one of the researchers stated "If we're disrupting this preparation by, say, reading email or playing videogames, which not only give off light but charge up our emotions and get our VTA dopaminergic circuitry going, it's easy to see why we're likely to have trouble falling asleep." The researchers believe they can use these new finding to help people that have trouble with falling asleep at night, rather than just giving them a drug that knocks out the entire brain, such as Valium.
     I found this article interesting because I often think about the causes for why I can't fall asleep on some nights, and I know that I am not the only one that experiences these problems. After reading this I realized that maybe it is what I am doing right before bed that could be causing me to stay awake. Although I don't intend to get medication for helping me, like this article suggested, I do think it's good to be aware that our activities and preparation for bed does play a big role on how well we are able to fall asleep at night.