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Orchestrating sleep-wake functions in the brain

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Staying awake and alert requires hypothalamic neurons that secrete the neurotransmitter hypocretin, also called orexin. A new study shows that feedback loops of hypocretin and glutamate neurons orchestrate the neuronal output that regulates arousal.

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Figure 1: Feedback mechanisms in the hypocretin system regulate arousal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

    Göran Hajak & Peter Geisler

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  1. Göran Hajak
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  2. Peter Geisler
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Correspondence to Göran Hajak.

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Hajak, G., Geisler, P. Orchestrating sleep-wake functions in the brain. Nat Med 9, 170–171 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0203-170

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