Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish
The circadian clock and homeostatic processes are fundamental mechanisms that regulate sleep. Surprisingly, despite decades of research, we still do not know why we sleep. Intriguing hypotheses suggest that sleep regulates synaptic plasticity and consequently has a beneficial role in learning and me...
Main Authors: | , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2013-02-01
|
Series: | Frontiers in Neural Circuits |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncir.2013.00009/full |
id |
doaj-a9b8ec3a255542c69b027f34242ba839 |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-a9b8ec3a255542c69b027f34242ba8392020-11-24T22:29:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neural Circuits1662-51102013-02-01710.3389/fncir.2013.0000941303Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafishIdan eElbaz0Nicholas S. Foulkes1Yoav eGothilf2Lior eAppelbaum3Bar Ilan UniversityKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Tel Aviv UniversityBar Ilan UniversityThe circadian clock and homeostatic processes are fundamental mechanisms that regulate sleep. Surprisingly, despite decades of research, we still do not know why we sleep. Intriguing hypotheses suggest that sleep regulates synaptic plasticity and consequently has a beneficial role in learning and memory. However, direct evidence is still limited and the molecular regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. The zebrafish provides a powerful vertebrate model system that enables simple genetic manipulation, imaging of neuronal circuits and synapses in living animals, and the monitoring of behavioral performance during day and night. Thus, the zebrafish has become an attractive model to study circadian and homeostatic processes that regulate sleep. Zebrafish clock- and sleep-related genes have been cloned, neuronal circuits that exhibit circadian rhythms of activity and synaptic plasticity have been studied, and rhythmic behavioral outputs have been characterized. Integration of this data could lead to a better understanding of sleep regulation. Here, we review the progress of circadian clock and sleep studies in zebrafish with special emphasis on the genetic and neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate rhythms of melatonin secretion, structural synaptic plasticity, locomotor activity and sleep.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncir.2013.00009/fullCircadian RhythmMelatoninSleepZebrafishsynaptic plasticityCircadian clock |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Idan eElbaz Nicholas S. Foulkes Yoav eGothilf Lior eAppelbaum |
spellingShingle |
Idan eElbaz Nicholas S. Foulkes Yoav eGothilf Lior eAppelbaum Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish Frontiers in Neural Circuits Circadian Rhythm Melatonin Sleep Zebrafish synaptic plasticity Circadian clock |
author_facet |
Idan eElbaz Nicholas S. Foulkes Yoav eGothilf Lior eAppelbaum |
author_sort |
Idan eElbaz |
title |
Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish |
title_short |
Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish |
title_full |
Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish |
title_fullStr |
Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish |
title_full_unstemmed |
Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish |
title_sort |
circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Neural Circuits |
issn |
1662-5110 |
publishDate |
2013-02-01 |
description |
The circadian clock and homeostatic processes are fundamental mechanisms that regulate sleep. Surprisingly, despite decades of research, we still do not know why we sleep. Intriguing hypotheses suggest that sleep regulates synaptic plasticity and consequently has a beneficial role in learning and memory. However, direct evidence is still limited and the molecular regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. The zebrafish provides a powerful vertebrate model system that enables simple genetic manipulation, imaging of neuronal circuits and synapses in living animals, and the monitoring of behavioral performance during day and night. Thus, the zebrafish has become an attractive model to study circadian and homeostatic processes that regulate sleep. Zebrafish clock- and sleep-related genes have been cloned, neuronal circuits that exhibit circadian rhythms of activity and synaptic plasticity have been studied, and rhythmic behavioral outputs have been characterized. Integration of this data could lead to a better understanding of sleep regulation. Here, we review the progress of circadian clock and sleep studies in zebrafish with special emphasis on the genetic and neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate rhythms of melatonin secretion, structural synaptic plasticity, locomotor activity and sleep. |
topic |
Circadian Rhythm Melatonin Sleep Zebrafish synaptic plasticity Circadian clock |
url |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncir.2013.00009/full |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT idaneelbaz circadianclocksrhythmicsynapticplasticityandthesleepwakecycleinzebrafish AT nicholassfoulkes circadianclocksrhythmicsynapticplasticityandthesleepwakecycleinzebrafish AT yoavegothilf circadianclocksrhythmicsynapticplasticityandthesleepwakecycleinzebrafish AT lioreappelbaum circadianclocksrhythmicsynapticplasticityandthesleepwakecycleinzebrafish |
_version_ |
1725742785991016448 |