Circadian rhythm

Neuroscience

Biology

Cortex (anatomy)

Endocrinology

Operating system

Computer science

Sleep (system call)

Homeostasis

Sleep deprivation

Psychology

Vigilance (psychology)

Central nervous system

Dentate gyrus

Neuroscience of sleep

Electroencephalography

Cerebral cortex

Wakefulness

Slow-wave sleep

Nature Neuroscience

Cortical and subcortical circuitry are thought to play distinct roles in the generation of sleep oscillations and global state control, respectively. Here we silenced a subset of neocortical layer 5 pyramidal and archicortical dentate gyrus granule cells in male mice by ablating SNAP25. This markedly increased wakefulness and reduced rebound of electroencephalographic slow-wave activity after sleep deprivation, suggesting a role for the cortex in both vigilance state control and sleep homeostasis.

A role for the cortex in sleep–wake regulation