[Neuron] A Common Neuroendocrine Substrate for Diverse General Anesthetics and Sleep
Li-Feng Jiang-Xie,1,4 Luping Yin,1,4 Shengli Zhao,1 Vincent Prevosto,1,2 Bao-Xia Han,1 Kafui Dzirasa,1,3 and Fan Wang1,5,*
1Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
SUMMARY
How general anesthesia (GA) induces loss of consciousness
remains unclear, and whether diverse
anesthetic drugs and sleep share a common neural
pathway is unknown. Previous studies have revealed
that many GA drugs inhibit neural activity through
targeting GABA receptors. Here, using Fos staining,
ex vivo brain slice recording, and in vivo multichannel
electrophysiology, we discovered a core
ensemble of hypothalamic neurons in and near the
supraoptic nucleus, consisting primarily of neuroendocrine
cells, which are persistently and commonly
activated by multiple classes of GA drugs. Remarkably,
chemogenetic or brief optogenetic activations
of these anesthesia-activated neurons (AANs)
strongly promote slow-wave sleep and potentiates
GA, whereas conditional ablation or inhibition of
AANs led to diminished slow-wave oscillation, significant
loss of sleep, and shortened durations of GA.
These findings identify a common neural substrate
underlying diverse GA drugs and natural sleep and
reveal a crucial role of the neuroendocrine system
in regulating global brain states.
https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(19)30296-X