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The Journal of Neuroscience, September 15, 2002, 22(18):7835-7839
BRIEF COMMUNICATION
Selective Action of Orexin (Hypocretin) on Nonspecific
Thalamocortical Projection Neurons
Laurence
Bayer1, *,
Emmanuel
Eggermann1, *,
Benoît
Saint-Mleux1,
Danièle
Machard1,
Barbara E.
Jones2,
Michel
Mühlethaler1, and
Mauro
Serafin1
1 Département de Physiologie, Centre
Médical Universitaire, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland, and
2 Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill
University, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H3A 2B4
As is evident from the pathological consequences of its absence in
narcolepsy, orexin (hypocretin) appears to be critical for the
maintenance of wakefulness. Via diffuse projections through the brain,
orexin-containing neurons in the hypothalamus may act on a number of
wake-promoting systems. Among these are the intralaminar and midline
thalamic nuclei, which project in turn in a widespread manner to the
cerebral cortex within the nonspecific thalamocortical projection
system. Testing the effect of orexin in rat brain slices, in two nuclei
of this system, centromedial (CM) nuclei and rhomboid nuclei, we found
that it depolarized and excited all neurons tested through a direct
postsynaptic action. An additional analysis of this effect in CM
neurons indicates that it results from the decrease of a potassium
conductance. By a detailed comparison of the effects of orexin A and B,
we established that orexin B was more potent than orexin A, indicating
the probable mediation by orexin type 2 receptors. In contrast to its
effect on the nonspecific thalamocortical projection neurons, orexin
had no effect on the specific sensory relay neurons of the somatic,
ventral posterolateral, and visual dorsal lateral geniculate nuclei.
Orexin differs in this regard from norepinephrine and acetylcholine, to
which neurons in the specific and nonspecific systems are sensitive.
Orexin may thus act in the thalamus to promote wakefulness by exciting
neurons of the nonspecific thalamocortical projection system, which,
through widespread projections to the cerebral cortex, stimulate and
maintain cortical activation.
Key words:
arousal; intralaminar nuclei; midline nuclei; rat; sleep; wakefulness
*
L.B. and E.E. contributed equally to this work.
Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/22187835-05$05.00/0
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