REM sleep selectively prunes and maintains new synapses in development and learning

Li, Wei; Ма, Лей; Yang, Guang; Gan, Wen‐Biao

doi:10.1038/nn.4479

Cited by 437 publications

(406 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Importantly, a recent study using adult mice trained on a motor task provided direct evidence that active sleep strengthens and maintains newly formed dendritic spines in primary motor cortex [65]; in three-week-old mice, which are undergoing rapid spine formation, active sleep exerted similar effects in motor cortex. Such studies, however, have not yet considered the possibility that twitching contributes to neural plasticity.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Phantom Limbs, Neuroprosthetics, and the Developmental Origins of Embodiment

Blumberg

Dooley

2017

Trends in Neurosciences

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Amputees who wish to rid themselves of a phantom limb must weaken the neural representation of the absent limb. Conversely, amputees who wish to replace a lost limb must assimilate a neuroprosthetic with the existing neural representation. Whether we wish to remove a phantom limb or assimilate a synthetic one, we will benefit from knowing more about the developmental process that enables embodiment. A potentially critical contributor to that process is the spontaneous activity—in the form of limb twitches—that occurs exclusively and abundantly during active (REM) sleep, a particularly prominent state in early development. The sensorimotor circuits activated by twitching limbs, and the developmental context in which activation occurs, could provide a roadmap for creating neuroprosthetics that feel as if they are part of the body.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Phantom Limbs, Neuroprosthetics, and the Developmental Origins of Embodiment

Blumberg

Dooley

2017

Trends in Neurosciences

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“…Li and colleagues [77] showed that REM sleep appears to selectively prune and maintain new synapses associated with particular types of motor learning (Figure 2). Specifically, they found that REM sleep prunes newly formed postsynaptic dendritic spines on pyramidal neurons in the motor cortex after a new motor task is learned, and that REM sleep also strengthens and maintains these newly formed spines.…”

Section: Rem Sleep Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroscience: A Distributed Neural Network Controls REM Sleep

Peever

Fuller

2016

Current Biology

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Considerable advances in our understanding of the mechanisms and functions of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep have occurred over the past decade. Much of this progress can be attributed to the development of new neuroscience tools that have enabled high-precision interrogation of brain circuitry linked with REM sleep control, in turn revealing how REM sleep mechanisms themselves impact processes such as sensorimotor function. This review is intended to update the general scientific community about the recent mechanistic, functional and conceptual developments in our current understanding of REM sleep biology and pathobiology. Specifically, this review outlines the historical origins of the discovery of REM sleep, the diversity of REM sleep expression across and within species, the potential functions of REM sleep (e.g., memory consolidation), the neural circuits that control REM sleep, and how dysfunction of REM sleep mechanisms underlie debilitating sleep disorders such as REM sleep behaviour disorder and narcolepsy.

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“…Given the role of active sleep in brain development, early active‐sleep disruption, or deprivation can be one such perturbation. Consistent with this idea, sleep deprivation affects synaptic plasticity in such sensorimotor structures as motor cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum . In addition, because sensory feedback from twitching is a major source of stimulation to the neonatal brain, active sleep restriction, or deprivation can be also conceptualized as a form of sensory deprivation during critical periods for brain development.…”

Section: Causal Role Of Active‐sleep Disruption In Atypical Developmentmentioning

confidence: 98%

Active Sleep Promotes Functional Connectivity in Developing Sensorimotor Networks

Rio-Bermudez

Blumberg

2018

BioEssays

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A ubiquitous feature of active (REM) sleep in mammals and birds is its relative abundance in early development. In rat pups across the first two postnatal weeks, active sleep promotes the expression of synchronized oscillatory activity within and between cortical and subcortical sensorimotor structures. Sensory feedback from self-generated myoclonic twitches - which are produced exclusively during active sleep - also triggers neural oscillations in those structures. We have proposed that one of the functions of active sleep in early infancy is to provide a context for synchronizing developing structures. Specifically, neural oscillations contribute to a variety of neurodevelopmental processes, including synapse formation, neuronal differentiation and migration, apoptosis, and the refinement of topographic maps. In addition, synchronized oscillations promote functional connectivity between distant brain areas. Consequently, any condition or manipulation that restricts active sleep can, in turn, deprive the infant animal of substantial sensory experience, resulting in atypical developmental trajectories.

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REM sleep selectively prunes and maintains new synapses in development and learning

Cited by 437 publications

References 57 publications

Phantom Limbs, Neuroprosthetics, and the Developmental Origins of Embodiment

Phantom Limbs, Neuroprosthetics, and the Developmental Origins of Embodiment

Neuroscience: A Distributed Neural Network Controls REM Sleep

Active Sleep Promotes Functional Connectivity in Developing Sensorimotor Networks

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