A fascinating but still partly unsolved scientific question is to understand the function/s of sleep. Many hypotheses have been proposed, and in this review I focus on the idea that sleep has a role in supporting brain plasticity, learning and memory. Although the majority of sleep research is concentrated on vertebrates, especially humans and mammals, sleep-like behaviour is also evident in some invertebrates. Though surprisingly there are very few studies that have directly tested if there is a mechanistic link between sleep and plasticity. I argue that a phylogenetic approach gives potential insight into the mechanisms and roles of sleep, by allowing an analysis by comparison of the evolution of sleep and rest/activity cycles in organisms showing radically different lifestyles and brain plans. This review attempts to set the scene for a much more profound analysis of these issues using phylogenetic tools.
%0 Journal Article
%1 piscopo2009sleep
%A Piscopo, S
%D 2009
%J Front Biosci (Schol Ed)
%K _req memory sleep
%P 437-447
%T Sleep and its possible role in learning: a phylogenetic view
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19482712
%V 1
%X A fascinating but still partly unsolved scientific question is to understand the function/s of sleep. Many hypotheses have been proposed, and in this review I focus on the idea that sleep has a role in supporting brain plasticity, learning and memory. Although the majority of sleep research is concentrated on vertebrates, especially humans and mammals, sleep-like behaviour is also evident in some invertebrates. Though surprisingly there are very few studies that have directly tested if there is a mechanistic link between sleep and plasticity. I argue that a phylogenetic approach gives potential insight into the mechanisms and roles of sleep, by allowing an analysis by comparison of the evolution of sleep and rest/activity cycles in organisms showing radically different lifestyles and brain plans. This review attempts to set the scene for a much more profound analysis of these issues using phylogenetic tools.
@article{piscopo2009sleep,
abstract = {A fascinating but still partly unsolved scientific question is to understand the function/s of sleep. Many hypotheses have been proposed, and in this review I focus on the idea that sleep has a role in supporting brain plasticity, learning and memory. Although the majority of sleep research is concentrated on vertebrates, especially humans and mammals, sleep-like behaviour is also evident in some invertebrates. Though surprisingly there are very few studies that have directly tested if there is a mechanistic link between sleep and plasticity. I argue that a phylogenetic approach gives potential insight into the mechanisms and roles of sleep, by allowing an analysis by comparison of the evolution of sleep and rest/activity cycles in organisms showing radically different lifestyles and brain plans. This review attempts to set the scene for a much more profound analysis of these issues using phylogenetic tools.},
added-at = {2010-04-10T09:34:47.000+0200},
author = {Piscopo, S},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2d67e51af038fcbd7457e286c061454fa/aucelum},
interhash = {aeb832dcde97c0683e53737eb72af90d},
intrahash = {d67e51af038fcbd7457e286c061454fa},
journal = {Front Biosci (Schol Ed)},
keywords = {_req memory sleep},
pages = {437-447},
pmid = {19482712},
timestamp = {2010-04-10T09:34:48.000+0200},
title = {Sleep and its possible role in learning: a phylogenetic view},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19482712},
volume = 1,
year = 2009
}