Analysis of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms from Activity-Monitoring Data Using SCAMP.

Sleep is a fundamental feature of life for virtually all multicellular animals, but many questions remain about how sleep is regulated and what biological functions it plays. Substantial headway has been made in the study of both circadian rhythms and sleep in the fruit fly , much of it through studies of individual fly activity using beam break counts from activity monitors (DAMs). The number of laboratories worldwide studying sleep in has grown from only a few 20 years ago to hundreds today.

Neural Stimulation during Activity Monitor (DAM)-Based Studies of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in .

Sleep is a fundamental feature of life for virtually all multicellular animals, but many questions remain about how sleep is regulated by circadian rhythms, homeostatic sleep drive that builds up with wakefulness, and modifying factors such as hunger or social interactions, as well as about the biological functions of sleep. Substantial headway has been made in the study of both circadian rhythms and sleep in the fruit fly , much of it through studies of individual fly activity using activity monitors (DAMs). Here, we describe approaches for the activation of specific neurons of interest using optogenetics (involving genetic modifications that allow for light-based neuronal activation) and thermogenetics (involving genetic modifications that allow for temperature-based neuronal activation) so that researchers can evaluate the roles of those neurons in controlling rest and activity behavior.

Activity Monitoring for Analysis of Sleep in .

Sleep is important for survival, and the need for sleep is conserved across species. In the past two decades, the fruit fly has emerged as a promising system in which to study the genetic, neural, and physiological bases of sleep. Through significant advances in our understanding of the regulation of sleep in flies, the field is poised to address several open questions about sleep, such as how the need for sleep is encoded, how molecular regulators of sleep are situated within brain networks, and what the functions of sleep are.