{
  "id": 1958064,
  "title": "We may now know which neurons dictate when it is time to go to sleep",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/we-may-now-know-which-neurons-dictate-when-it-is-time-to-go-to-sleep",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-19T15:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Scientist",
    "slug": "new-scientist",
    "url": "https://www.newscientist.com/article/2585546-we-may-now-know-which-neurons-dictate-when-it-is-time-to-go-to-sleep/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers have pinpointed specific groups of neurons in the mouse brain that kick in after the rodents have been awake for extended periods, prompting sleepiness. If comparable systems exist in humans, they could potentially be targeted to enhance treatments for various sleep disorders. The brain comprises several neural circuits governing sleep and wakefulness, with neurons in the hypothalamus serving as control switches for the process. A mystery remained as to what triggers the irresistible urge to sleep as the hours of wakefulness mount. To unravel this, Will Joo at the University of Basel in Switzerland and his team compared brain activation patterns in mice during normal sleep-wake cycles, sleep deprivation, and recovery sleep. By measuring protein production in cells driven by a gene called Fos, which gets activated when neurons fire, they discovered specific brain areas linked to wakefulness. Within one such region, known as the median raphe, two distinct neuronal populations were found to become progressively active the longer the animals stayed awake and quiet down again post-sleep onset. These populations are GABAergic and serotonergic neurons, which respond to the chemical messengers gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serotonin. To determine whether these neurons become more active due to prolonged wakefulness or exert a more active role, the researchers used viruses to either stimulate or suppress their activity. When both sets of neurons were artificially activated, the mice slept significantly longer and spent more time in deep, non-REM sleep stages, mirroring the restorative sleep humans experience after prolonged wakefulness. Conversely, when these neurons were inhibited, the mice slept about 70% less than control mice, experiencing roughly 6.5 extra hours of wakefulness daily, without exhibiting heightened anxiety-like behaviors typically observed under sleep-deprived conditions. However, this lack of sleep proved fatal in approximately 17% of the mice. The strong impact of these activated and inhibited neurons suggests they aren't merely indicators of wakefulness but are crucial for promoting sleep, potentially acting as key components of the neural circuitry that triggers sleep drive. This discovery could lead to novel therapies for sleep-related conditions, assuming the same sleep-driving neuron populations exist in humans.",
  "summary": "Two clusters of neurons in the mouse brain seem to create the drive to get some shut-eye, potentially hinting at a new target for sleep disorder treatments",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}