Trends in Neurosciences

Trends in Neurosciences

Volume 43, Issue 11, November 2020, Pages 839-841
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Spotlight
Vasopressin Neurons: Master Integrators of Time and Homeostasis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2020.08.007Get rights and content

A recent article by Gizowski and Bourque shows that vasopressinergic (VP) neurons within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) master circadian clock have the ability of encoding afferent input from osmosensors and generating appropriate homeostatic responses, suggesting that SCN neurons can integrate internal circadian time and acute changes in homeostatic markers.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) award R01NS110012 (H.O.D.) and a University of Washington Institute for Neurotechnology Award (R.E.A.S.).

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Cited by (2)

  • Sleep and the circadian system: The latest gossip on a tumultuous long-term relationship

    2021, Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
    Citation Excerpt :

    Similarly the absence of 24-h rhythms in REM sleep in an SCN-lesioned animal could be the consequence of arhythmic sleep and not proof of direct regulation of REM timing by the circadian system, a role that has only been unmasked through internal desynchrony models. We now know that the SCN is even more heterogeneous than previously thought, and that different neuronal subtypes of the SCN likely play unique roles in maintaining specific circadian rhythms and sensing the internal and external environment (Bussi et al., 2020; Wen et al., 2020). Targeting these specific neuronal groups for excitation and inhibition within the SCN, along with their respective targets, will represent a key strategy to truly understand the mutual interactions between the circadian system and sleep centers.

  • Disturbances of Hormonal Circadian Rhythms by Light Pollution

    2023, International Journal of Molecular Sciences
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