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12 - Amygdalar regulation of REM sleep

from Section III - Neuronal regulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2011

By
Larry D. Sanford  and
Richard J. Ross
Edited by
Birendra N. Mallick ,
S. R. Pandi-Perumal ,
Robert W. McCarley  and
Adrian R. Morrison
Larry D. Sanford
Affiliation:
Eastern Virginia Medical School, USA
Richard J. Ross
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Birendra N. Mallick
Affiliation:
Jawaharlal Nehru University
S. R. Pandi-Perumal
Affiliation:
Somnogen Canada Inc, Toronto
Robert W. McCarley
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Massachusetts
Adrian R. Morrison
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
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Summary

Summary

The amygdala has a long-recognized role in emotion, and a growing body of work demonstrates that it plays an important part in the regulation of arousal state. Primary findings are that the amygdala, especially its central nucleus, is a strong regulator of rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and related phenomena, though a smaller body of research indicates a role for the amygdala in regulating non-REM (NREM). Considering its vital place in the limbic circuitry that controls emotion, it is likely that the amygdala mediates fear- and stress-induced alterations in sleep, and investigations in animals have begun to provide confirmatory evidence. In particular, GABAergic regulation of the central nucleus of the amygdala appears to play a significant role in stress-induced reductions in REM. In humans, neuroimaging studies suggest that the pathophysiological mechanisms of narcolepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), two central nervous system disorders with a prominent emotional component and a demonstrated abnormality of REM, involve an amygdalar-mediated reorganization of fundamental REM systems.

Type
Chapter
Information
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep
Regulation and Function
 , pp. 110 - 120
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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