- Ventrolateral preoptic nucleus
The ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) is a group of
neurons in thehypothalamus . They are primarily active duringNon-rapid eye movement sleep , and inhibit other neurons that are involved in wakefulness. The VLPO neurons release the inhibitory neurotransmittersgalanin andGABA to inhibit the monaminergic cell groups in thelocus coeruleus , theraphe nucleus , and thetuberomammillary nucleus [cite journal | author=Saper, C. B., Scammell, T. E., & Lu, J. | title=Hypothalamic regulation of sleep and circadian rhythms. | journal=Nature | volume=437 | pages=1257–1264| year=2005 | doi=10.1038/nature04284] .* VLPO is activated by
somnogens , from whichserotonin andadenosine accumulate during waking [cite journal | author=Gallopin T, Luppi PH, Cauli B, Urade Y, Rossier J, Hayaishi O, Lambolez B, Fort P. | title=The endogenous somnogen adenosine excites a subset of sleep-promoting neurons via A2A receptors in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus | journal=Neuroscience | volume= 134| pages=1377| year=2005 | pmid=16039802 | doi=10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.05.045] . Another VLPO activating endosomnogen isprostaglandin D2 [cite journal | author=Scammell T, Gerashchenko D, Urade Y, Onoe H, Saper C, Hayaishi O. | title=Activation of ventrolateral preoptic neurons by the somnogen prostaglandin D2 | journal=Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | volume= 95| pages=7754| year=1998 | pmid=9636223 | doi=10.1073/pnas.95.13.7754] .
* VLPO is inhibited byarousal transmittersnoradrenaline andacetylcholine .References
External links
*
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=16039802&dopt=AbstractPlus
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.