Suprachiasmatic nucleus in sleep–wake regulation

Nov 23, 2007Sleep medicine

The brain’s internal clock and its role in controlling sleep and wakefulness

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Abstract

Circadian rhythms are present in cells throughout the body, influencing sleep-wake cycles.

Animals have evolved two fundamental behavioral states: activity and rest.
These states are characterized as wake and sleep in mammals, occurring in precise 24-hour cycles.
Circadian rhythms have adapted to the solar cycle of light and dark.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain serves as the master pacemaker for the sleep-wake cycle.
This nucleus coordinates circadian rhythms across various brain areas and tissues to enhance behavioral adaptation.

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The evolution of animals is a consequence of selective specialization of cells, tissues, functional systems, and behavior. The objective of all life is successful reproduction and maintenance of the species. In order to accomplish this, all animals have evolved a division of behavior into two fundamental behavioral states: one characterized by the elaboration of adaptive behavior (activity) and the other by rest and behavioral quiescence (rest). In mammals, these states are designated wake and sleep. Activity and rest, wake and sleep, occur in precise 24-h cycles that have evolved as an adaptation to the solar cycle of light and dark. These cycles are referred to as circadian rhythms. Over the last 40 years, we have gained detailed knowledge about the neurobiology of both wake and sleep and the circadian control of their timing. We now know that circadian rhythms are present in cells throughout the body. In the brain, a small group of hypothalamic nerve cells, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), functions as a master circadian pacemaker controlling the timing of the sleep-wake cycle and coordinating this with circadian rhythms in other brain areas and other tissues to enhance behavioral adaptation. In this review, I will summarize our current understanding of the organization and function of the circadian timing system and its role in the regulation of brain mechanisms of sleep and wake.

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Suprachiasmatic nucleus in sleep–wake regulation

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